Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Because of being dull and dropping out of school early, the previous Jiang Yizhou didn't have many friends, which made the current Jiang Yizhou feel relieved; at least he didn't have to deal with those past relationships.
For Jiang Yizhou, who is 1.8 meters tall and physically robust, traveling is still exhausting. This is a psychological effect, unrelated to whether his body is energetic or not.
Upon arriving at Shiqiao Township, the next step is to either walk back or spend some money to hitch a ride, whether it be a donkey cart or a tricycle. Currently, only the main road that connects the internal streets of the town is paved; outside the town, all the way to the village, it's dirt roads. When it's dry, dust flies everywhere; after it rains, it becomes muddy and inconvenient.
In such a backward place, unless there are unexpected developments, it will probably take until eleven years later when the country implements a four trillion plan, along with local funding, to properly repair the road leading to the village. Jiang Yizhou has deep feelings about this from his past life.
Carrying a suitcase and wearing a backpack, as Jiang Yizhou got off the shuttle, he suddenly felt out of place with his surroundings. His outfit clearly indicated that he was not an ordinary person; although he didn't know how to dress well, someone had taught him and helped him with his appearance.
Trying to act calm, Jiang Yizhou took his luggage to the vegetable market. It was called a market but was merely a distribution center. The wide road had vendors on both sides shouting at customers; most were selling vegetables they grew themselves, fish and shrimp they caught, and chickens they raised. The pork was probably freshly sourced from the slaughterhouse.
"How much for the meat?" Considering his clothes and not knowing how to haggle, Jiang Yizhou approached one of the two pork vendors and asked for the price.
"What part do you want?" For some reason, butchers often look similar—big and burly, many are bald. The butcher wrapped up pork for an older lady nearby and then turned to Jiang Yizhou.
"Give me two pounds of belly and ribs!" Jiang Yizhou decided not to ask about the price; he figured he could afford it.
"Alright," the butcher was pleased to encounter such a straightforward customer. Unlike the earlier lady who was picky and ended up buying just one pound after much fussing while complaining about pork prices rising during the New Year!
"Come again!" As Jiang Yizhou received the pork, he indeed felt the price increase; five yuan per pound seemed excessive for belly and ribs. He had bought groceries before; usually, it was around two yuan per pound—three or four yuan at most—but if everything in this town was so expensive, it truly felt like being ripped off!
The popularity of cured meat makes sense; even during New Year when people want fresh meat but lack refrigerators, they have to endure such painful expenses every year—especially for families that frequently visit relatives for gatherings where meals are constant; this adds even more financial strain.
Although the national average salary has reached around three to four hundred a month, this also means that the majority of people live on less than three to four hundred.
After shopping for New Year's snacks and candies, I bought a bag of each item. I also saw someone selling underwear, so I bought two sets of thermal underwear for my parents and Er Ya, to wear under their nice clothes when going Outside... but my parents might not be willing to wear them.
At the fork leading to the village, Jiang Yizhou searched for any familiar faces, hoping to flag down a passing tricycle. The motorcycle couldn't carry much, and not many people could afford it. A tricycle was more convenient and much better than a wooden cart pulled by a person.
After waiting for a while, Jiang Yizhou spotted a familiar figure and called out, "Hey~~ Teacher!"
The person he saw was indeed the village teacher, Jiang Maoyou. From the name, it was clear that he was an elder, and since they shared the same surname, he was usually just called Teacher.
Jiang Maoyou was one of the five teachers at the Village School. In this era, the Village School was still the main place for rural children to receive education. In the future, as education became more centralized, most children would have to go to town or follow their parents to school in the city.
However, seeing that the teacher was pulling a wooden cart—this type of cart was originally meant for livestock to haul things—there weren't enough animals available. Plus, farmers in Villager communities had nothing but strength.
This was also the greatest pain in the hearts of farmers because they could only sell their labor. Aside from a few shrewd individuals skilled in business, most merely scraped by on their small plots of land. For those who wanted to support their children’s education, it wasn't like before; they couldn't even find places to exert their strength and were quite enthusiastic about it.
"Who are you?" Jiang Maoyou hesitated to recognize this person who looked like someone from the city—a big Boss. In his over ten years of teaching, only two students had gone on to university, and he knew those two well; this person wasn’t one of them!
"It's me, Jiang Yizhou. My dad said you gave me this name! But I dropped out after finishing third grade; I let you down!"
The memories of Jiang Yizhou's past felt like a part of his life experience now. He genuinely admired this man who steadfastly held onto his role at the Village School.
"Yi Zhou!” Jiang Maoyou seemed a bit flustered, unsure of what to do next. He offered a cigarette; after all, he was just an ordinary guy and didn’t know if Jiang Yizhou smoked or not. He didn’t really keep up with such details.
I only remember helping to name two newborns in the village at that time. One was named Yi Fan, and suddenly someone rushed over to find me for something, so I casually named the other one Yi Zhou.
Now that person has become successful. If they ever ask me why I gave them that name, would it really just be because I said it on a whim?
Stay calm, stay calm.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Maoyou said, unsure of where to put his hands. He simply patted his jacket, which resulted in a cloud of dust, making the atmosphere even more awkward.
Jiang Yizhou pointed to a large pile of luggage behind him. "Teacher, I just got back from outside and I don't know how to get my luggage home," he said with a pout, rubbing his hands together and smiling. "I saw you and thought I'd ask for your help!"
Jiang Maoyou took a closer look at the luggage behind him, then sized up Jiang Yizhou. He sighed inwardly; this kid has really made something of himself. He had the same aura as those college students, and judging by the situation, he might even be making money.
"Alright, just load your luggage up! I'm heading home too!" Jiang Maoyou didn't refuse; it was just helping out after all. It's much better than lending money. If someone is hired to do work, just a meal will suffice—no need for cash. Of course, if it goes on for too long, then it becomes a job.
With a long wooden cart, there was no need to worry about it tipping over. Jiang Maoyou pulled in front while Jiang Yizhou pushed from behind as they made their way toward the village.
Comment 0 Comment Count