Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

On National Day in 55, Beijing did not hold a grand celebration, but a military parade was still held to boost the people's confidence.

But the streets were still lively. Red flags were hung up, children ran by waving their little flags, and adults stood by the roadside chatting and laughing.

Zhao Ping'an didn't go to join the fun that day. He stayed in his office, processing documents.

Reporter Anna and her team arrived early.

The French journalist I met in Paris, along with her photography team, just got off the plane yesterday.

Zhao Ping'an arranged for Ye Juan to pick them up, and also had Zhu Hui and Liu Ying take turns accompanying them. The three female secretaries could each accompany them for a while.

So he picked up the phone and dialed Ye Juan's number.

"How is it?"

Ye Juan's voice was tinged with laughter: "Minister, we are having hot pot with Miss Anna's team."

They were just saying that the chef's skill in slicing mutton was simply art, and that the cooked mutton paired with the 8-sauce was a perfect match. By the way, Miss Anna especially liked the boiled tripe, finding it to be rich in flavor and with an excellent texture...

Minister, you would never guess that these six people have already eaten eight catties of mutton…

Zhao Ping'an laughed too: "Be careful, don't make fun of people. French people do have some good food. If it were the British, you would see them looking like they want to swallow their tongues. You can eat and drink as you please."

After we eat, I'll take her to climb the Great Wall so she can see this symbol of our nation. And remember to let them take pictures! Then, after the first snow, I'll take more pictures and compare them; the results will be much better.

"Yes, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Pingan leaned back in his chair, thinking about how Anna was in Paris.

That young French girl had a sparkle in her eyes and was full of curiosity about everything.

Now she's here, ready to see for herself this country she's only ever heard about on the radio.

Zhao Ping'an suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

In France, some people still think of the Republic as having "long braids and rickshaws".

However, now a French journalist is coming with a film crew to shoot a documentary. This time, we must give them a profound and moving experience.

Anna's schedule was packed for the next few days.

Ye Juan accompanied her to the Northwest. The endless cotton fields were white and fluffy, like a layer of snow.

Anna stood at the edge of the field, watching the women operating the mechanized harvesters for a long time.

"They—I mean, in your country, women can operate machinery too?... And how much can those machines harvest in a day?"

Ye Juan smiled and began to explain through the translator.

Coincidentally, this translator is the Republic's head chef whom Anna approves of. Hearing that Anna was going to visit the Republic, he specially volunteered to be the translator so as to better introduce the Republic.

"Yes, we have gender equality here. Women hold up half the sky. Moreover, these machines are quite advanced. It mainly depends on the operating skills, and the strength requirements are not high, so women can also do it. As for work efficiency, this is a small harvester, which can harvest about 100 mu a day. If it were a large one, it could harvest about 500 mu."

Anna was astonished. So this place really did achieve gender equality?! She then raised her camera and snapped many pictures of the women working in the combine harvester.

Zhu Hui accompanied him to Shandong.

On the day Anna climbed Mount Tai, she couldn't go on after climbing halfway and sat on the stone steps, panting.

Zhu Hui didn't rush her, but just sat with her and told her stories about Mount Tai.

"Ancient emperors would come here to perform the Fengshan ceremony," Zhu Hui said, pointing to the distant mountain peaks.

"It's like reporting to God that I'm doing a good job as emperor."

Anna listened so intently that she almost forgot to breathe.

After descending the mountain, Zhu Hui took her to try Shandong cuisine.

Braised sea cucumber with scallions, stir-fried prawns, stir-fried double crispy seafood, braised fish slices, and four-happiness meatballs were served one by one.

With the chef's explanation and translation, the history, characteristics, and tasting tips of each dish were explained, which was like a culinary lesson for Anna and the others.

"This tastes..." After hearing this, Anna and the others couldn't wait to use their knives and forks to choose the dishes they liked.

Anna, with her adventurous spirit, tried the stir-fried double crisp first. As soon as she took a bite, her eyes lit up. "This tastes better than any restaurant I've ever been to in France."

Zhu Hui smiled: "Of course. The Republic has a 5000-year history, and we believe that food is the most important thing for the people. So most of the time we are thinking about what we can eat and how to make it taste better. These dishes are one of the proofs of our cultural heritage..."

Liu Ying accompanied him to Northeast China.

The streets of Shenyang are bustling with people.

There were workers in overalls, students carrying backpacks, and middle-aged women carrying shopping baskets. Shops along the street had signs, selling all sorts of things.

Anna walked along, camera in hand, taking pictures as she went. She photographed the streets, pedestrians, roadside stalls, and things she couldn't name.

"The people here are different from what I imagined," she suddenly said.

Liu Ying asked, "How is it different?"

Anna thought for a moment: "More...ordinary? No, more normal, and happier. Everyone had a smile on their face, completely different from what I imagined. I thought I would see..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Liu Ying understood.

"Did you think you'd see long braids and rickshaws?" Liu Ying smiled. "That was a long time ago. And the smile you saw didn't last long either. But we believe this is just the beginning, and things will get better and better in the future. Our minister described that scene to us!" A hint of admiration flashed in Liu Ying's eyes as she mentioned Zhao Ping'an.

Anna often noticed this in the eyes of Ye Juan and Zhu Hui as well.

When Anna was in Beijing, Zhao Pingan took her to eat Peking duck.

The chef from Quanjude pushed his cart over and sliced ​​the duck into thin slices right in front of her, arranging each slice on a plate. Anna stared at the chef's hands, her eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

"How...how was this cut?"

The master didn't understand, he just smiled.

The chef translated for her: "He said he's been practicing for twenty years."

Anna took a bite of the pastry first, and the impactful texture made her squint her eyes.

He exclaimed repeatedly, "This is simply the most delicious thing I've ever eaten!"

Then, under Zhao Ping'an's guidance, Anna picked up a slice of roast duck with the skin on, dipped it in sauce, placed it in a thin pancake, added shredded scallions, rolled it up, and stuffed it into her mouth.

As she chewed, she suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Pingan asked.

Anna swallowed, took a deep breath, and asked, "Mr. Zhao, do you people in the Republic eat this every day?"

Zhao Ping'an laughed heartily, then pointed to the family of workers on the other side and began to speak.

"A roast duck costs 8 yuan, which is too expensive for the average person to eat every day."

But normally, it's quite easy for a worker to eat out with their family once a month. Look, isn't that right over there?

However, workers generally prefer the factory canteen, where the food is more rustic and suits their tastes better.

Anna paused for a moment, then picked up another slice.

She recalled the canteen of a factory she had visited before, where there were more than ten dishes to choose from, and the workers seemed quite used to it; it had clearly been a practice for a long time.

Anna tasted it herself, and the food wasn't any worse than what you'd find in some French restaurants; it just lacked the elaborate presentation.

But the fact that thousands of people working in factories could do whatever they wanted was completely different from the republic she had imagined...

And now, this dish, which I consider absolutely the "best," can be enjoyed casually by an ordinary worker with his family?

Shouldn't reservations be made in advance, and only those dressed appropriately be allowed entry? And then there are the female workers operating cotton harvesters in the far northwest...

Anna suddenly felt a little confused. When her gaze swept over Zhao Ping'an, who was smiling beside her, she saw that something that had been there before in his eyes.

But what I hadn't noticed was the attitude and respect I showed to everyone, treating everyone equally.

Anna seemed to suddenly understand...