Zhao Dongchuan also remembered that the novel seemed to mention someone in the village working at a department store. He only remembered the general storyline and didn't have much impression of the less important "supporting characters."
"Uh, yes, I came today to buy a bicycle, sorry to trouble you, Brother Guangming."
"Why do you suddenly want to buy a bicycle?" Jin Guangming actually wanted to ask how he could have the money and the ticket to buy a bicycle, but he couldn't ask directly, so he said it this way.
"Yes, today I went to the post office to pick up a package my parents sent me. My parents know that transportation in the countryside is inconvenient and are afraid I'll get tired, so they specifically asked someone to get it for me." Zhao Dongchuan patted the package on his back as he spoke.
Hou Zhuren and Jin Guangming understood. Ordinary farmers wouldn't have the spare money and ability to get a ticket. People in the city had ways. Some units issued tickets they didn't want and gave or resold them to others. There were quite a few.
Zhao Dongchuan had already taken 150 yuan and a bicycle ticket from the system and put them in his pocket. He took out the money and ticket and handed them to Jin Guangming. Jin Guangming verified the money and ticket, then issued a receipt to Zhao Dongchuan. Afterward, he took Zhao Dongchuan to the management office to register the bicycle and stamp it with a steel seal. The procedure was then completed.
Zhao Dongchuan also bought some daily necessities and manuscript paper in the store, then said goodbye to Director Hou and Jin Guangming.
Zhao Dongchuan rode his newly purchased Phoenix Brand bicycle and happily returned to Shuangshui Village.
"Ring ring ring"
"Ring ring ring"
At this time, Sun Yuting, a pacesetter for "Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture" and the construction team leader, was holding a bucket and painting slogans on the earthen wall at the entrance of the village. He heard a ringing sound and thought it was Secretary Tian Fudang, but was about to greet him when he saw it was a young man. He couldn't help but widen his eyes. Who was this person?
"Why is it this kid?" As he got closer and clearly saw it was Zhao Dongchuan, Sun Yuting looked surprised.
"Uncle Yuting, you're busy," Zhao Dongchuan said as he rode his bicycle past him.
Watching Zhao Dongchuan's receding figure, Sun Yuting secretly thought, "This young man has capitalist tendencies, and he's even riding a bicycle!"
Zhao Dongchuan didn't care what others thought. As a sent-down youth from the city, with his "parents" in the city as an excuse, no one would question the source of his money and tickets.
Zhao Dongchuan returned home and used the remaining firewood to boil a pot of hot water, preparing to take a good wash.
Today, he had bought a towel and basin in the county town, as well as toothpaste, toothbrush, a mug for drinking tea, and a bag of loose-leaf tea.
He had already bought the major item, the bicycle, so these small things were nothing.
He brought over a basin of hot water and began to wipe himself with the towel.
After a warm wash, Zhao Dongchuan changed into clean clothes and immediately felt much refreshed. He got onto the kang, took out the package, and checked what his parents had sent.
Upon opening the package, the first thing that caught his eye was a set of books. The cover of the books read "Self-Study Series of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry." The complete set included four volumes of "Algebra," four volumes of "Physics," four volumes of "Chemistry," two volumes of "Plane Geometry," one volume of "Solid Geometry," one volume of "Plane Analytical Geometry," and one volume of "Trigonometry."
This set of books was published by Shanghai People's Publishing House in 1963, over ten years ago.
Some of the books sent were new, and some were old. Some books were even missing their covers. Fortunately, the missing corners and damaged parts did not affect the overall reading experience.
A few books were heavily marked with writing, clearly indicating that the original owner had used them, writing their own calculations and answers.
His parents from afar must have gone to great lengths to gather these books. Although the letter didn't mention it, Zhao Dongchuan clearly knew it wasn't easy. During that special period, many books were no longer published.
The package also contained some blank paper provided by the factory and some pens for him to do drafts, showing how thoughtful they were.
Besides these, the package contained a small envelope with 50 yuan in banknotes. The banknotes were a mix of new and old, with denominations of 1 yuan, 2 yuan, and a few jiao. Zhao Dongchuan could even imagine his parents scrambling to collect the money and make up the amount. For a moment, Zhao Dongchuan was moved. Since transmigrating, he had always considered himself an outsider and hadn't treated "Zhao Dongchuan's" parents as his own, only thinking of fulfilling his duty as a son.
At this moment, he felt a slight change. Perhaps he should better fulfill his responsibilities as a son. In his past life, he had no opportunity, but in this world, he should do his best.
At the bottom of the package was a set of clothes made of Dacron fabric, a shirt and pants, which looked about 90% new. They were likely given by a relative from home.
Zhao Dongchuan put everything away. He didn't plan to cook tonight, so he just ate the steamed buns he bought from the store and prepared to read the "Self-Study Series of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry."
Zhao Dongchuan flipped through it and felt he had chosen the right books. These books were indeed excellent, with rich content, easy-to-understand explanations, and a gradual progression from simple to complex. They were more detailed than "One Hundred Thousand Whys" and almost as rigorous as the "Xinhua Dictionary."
Their greatest advantage was the abundance of examples, exquisite diagrams, and detailed mathematical derivations. Each unit had a summary of the chapter, and the exercises and review questions at the end of the book were plentiful, along with answers. Some difficult problems even included hints.
Zhao Dongchuan took out a "fountain pen" from the system and began copying problems and doing calculations on the paper. The fountain pen's effect was truly magical; he could better understand and memorize the key points of the problems. Soon, Zhao Dongchuan was immersed in the ocean of knowledge and only stopped writing when the kerosene lamp grew dim.
This kind of efficient learning was truly addictive. He had already recalled many things he had learned before and gained a deeper understanding.
However, it was time to sleep. Learning is endless, and there is no need to rush. In addition to labor, he would dedicate 2 hours a day to studying, and in a few months, he would be able to thoroughly master this set of books.
With this thought, Zhao Dongchuan took off his clothes and went to bed. He slept soundly through the night.
The next day, Zhao Dongchuan got up very early. While the porridge was cooking on the stove, he practiced the "Five Animal Frolics" for a while. Then he turned over the soil in a corner of the yard, planning to plant some seeds for fruits and vegetables. He hadn't forgotten his earlier conversation with Sun Shao'an about tidying up the private plot. If Sun Shao'an came by and saw nothing done, he would be exposed.
After turning over the soil for a while, Zhao Dongchuan ate breakfast. It was about time, so he went to work.
At this time, the Deputy Captain, Tian F Gao, was responsible for arranging production in the team. Sun Shao'an had not returned yet; he was probably still on the road.
Zhao Dongchuan and the team members were carrying out the day's tasks. While listening to the team members chatting idly, they heard a woman's "crying and shouting" from the entrance of the village in the distance.
Not long after, Zhao Dongchuan learned the cause of the incident from the well-informed Deputy Captain Tian F Gao. The crying woman was "Lan Hua" from Sun Yuhou's family.
It was said that she was crying for her husband, Wang Manyin, a scoundrel from Guànzi Village. Wang Manyin had been caught by the militia for selling several packets of rat poison after someone had informed on him.