Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry Self-Study Series

Zhao Dongchuan also remembered; it seemed the novel did mention someone in the village working at the Department Store. He only remembered the general plotline, and some less important "supporting characters" left no impression on him.

"Uh, yes, that's right. I came today to buy a bicycle. I'll trouble Guangming Ge with it."

"Why did you suddenly decide to buy a bicycle?" Jin Guangming actually wanted to ask, how could he have money and a ticket to buy a bicycle? But it was awkward to ask directly, so he phrased it that way.

"It's like this, I picked up a package from my parents at the post office today. My parents know that transportation in the countryside is inconvenient and were afraid I'd get tired, so they specially asked someone to arrange it," Zhao Dongchuan said, patting the package on his back.

Director Hou and Jin Guangming understood. Ordinary farmers didn't have the spare money or the ability to get tickets. City people, however, had their ways; some units issued tickets that people didn't need, and many were given away or resold.

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, and took him to the management office to register the bicycle and have a steel stamp applied. The procedures were now complete.

Zhao Dongchuan then bought some daily necessities, manuscript paper, and other items at the store, then bid farewell to Director Hou and Jin Guangming.

Zhao Dongchuan rode his newly purchased Phoenix brand bicycle, happily returning to Shuangshui Village.

"Ding-a-ling-a-ling!"

"Ding-a-ling-a-ling!"

At this moment, Sun Yuting, an activist for "Agriculture Learns from Dazhai" and the construction team leader in the village, was carrying a bucket and writing slogans on the mud wall at the village entrance when he heard a series of bell rings. He thought it was Secretary Tian, Tian Futang, and was about to greet him, but then realized the person approaching was a young man. He couldn't help but widen his eyes, wondering who this person was.

"How is it this kid?" As the person drew closer, Sun Yuting saw clearly that it was Zhao Dongchuan, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Uncle Yuting, you're busy!"

Zhao Dongchuan said this as he rode his bicycle past him.

Sun Yuting watched Zhao Dongchuan's retreating figure and muttered to himself, "This young man has capitalist tendencies, even riding a bicycle!"

Zhao Dongchuan didn't care what others thought. He was an educated youth from the city, with "parents" in the city as an excuse, so no one would question the origin of his money and tickets.

Zhao Dongchuan returned home, used the remaining meager firewood to boil a pot of hot water, and prepared to take a good wash.

Today in the county town, he bought towels, a washbasin, toothpaste, toothbrushes, a teacup, and a bag of loose-leaf tea.

Since he had already bought a major item like a bicycle, these small things were not an issue.

Carrying a basin of hot water, Zhao Dongchuan began to wipe himself with a towel.

After a warm wash, Zhao Dongchuan changed into clean clothes, immediately feeling much refreshed. He got onto the kang, took out the package, and checked what his parents had sent.

Opening the package, the first thing that caught his eye was a set of books. The covers 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 "Analytic Geometry," and one volume of "Trigonometry."

This set of books was published by Shanghai People's Publishing House in 1963, more than ten years ago.

The books sent were a mix of new and old, and some even lacked covers. Fortunately, the missing corners and damage did not affect the overall readability.

Several books had many written annotations, clearly having been used by a previous owner who had written their calculations and answers.

His parents, far away, must have gone to great lengths to gather them. Although the letter didn't mention it, Zhao Dongchuan clearly knew it wasn't easy. During that special period, many books were no longer being published.

The package also contained some blank material paper from the factory and some pens for his drafts, which was truly thoughtful.

Besides these, there was also a small envelope containing 50 yuan in paper money. The banknotes were a mix of new and old, including 1 yuan, 2 yuan, and some denominations of a few mao. Zhao Dongchuan could even imagine his parents painstakingly collecting the money for him. For a moment, Zhao Dongchuan was touched. Since transmigrating, he had always considered himself an outsider, not viewing "Zhao Dongchuan's" parents as his own, only thinking of fulfilling a son's responsibility.

At this moment, he felt a slight change. Perhaps he should better shoulder the responsibility of being a son. In his original world, he no longer had the chance, but in this world, he should do it well.

At the very bottom of the package was a set of clothes, a shirt and trousers made of Dacron fabric, looking about 90% new. They were probably a gift from a relative's family.

Zhao Dongchuan put all these things away. He didn't plan to cook today, so he munched on the steamed buns he bought from the store and prepared to look through the "self-study series of mathematics, physics, and chemistry."

Zhao Dongchuan flipped through the book and felt that he hadn't chosen the wrong one. This book was indeed very good: rich in content, easy to understand, progressing from simple to profound, more detailed than "One Hundred Thousand Whys," and as rigorous as the "Xinhua Dictionary."

Its greatest advantages were the numerous examples, exquisite diagrams, and detailed mathematical derivations. Each unit had a chapter summary, and there were many exercises and review questions at the back of the book, along with answers. Some difficult problems also included solution hints.

Zhao Dongchuan took out a "fountain pen" from the system and began to copy questions onto paper and work them out. The fountain pen's effect was indeed magical; he could better understand and remember the key points of the problems. Soon, Zhao Dongchuan was immersed in the ocean of knowledge, only stopping when the kerosene lamp grew dim.

This kind of efficient learning was indeed captivating. He had now retrieved many things he had learned before from his memory, and with a deeper understanding.

However, it was time to sleep. Learning is endless, and there's no need to rush for quick success. After laboring, he would spend 2 hours each day studying, and within a few months, he could thoroughly master this set of books.

Thinking this, Zhao Dongchuan took off his clothes and went to sleep. The night passed without incident.

The next day, Zhao Dongchuan woke up early. While the porridge was cooking on the stove, he practiced Wuqinxi for a while, then turned over the soil in a corner of the courtyard, preparing to get some seeds to plant some fruits and vegetables. He hadn't forgotten about tidying up his private plot, which he had discussed with Sun Shaoan. If Sun Shaoan came by and saw nothing done, his secret would be out.

After turning over the soil for a while, Zhao Dongchuan ate breakfast. When the time was about right, he went to work.

At this time, the person in charge of arranging production in the team was Vice-Captain Tian Fugao. Sun Shaoan hadn't returned yet, probably still on his way.

Zhao Dongchuan and the team members were carrying out their tasks for the day, listening to them chat idly, when they heard a woman's "crying and shouting" from the village entrance in the distance.

Before long, Zhao Dongchuan learned the whole story from the well-informed Vice-Captain Tian Fugao. It turned out the crying woman was Lanhua, from Sun Yuhou's family.

He heard she was crying for her husband, Wang Manyin, the good-for-nothing from Guanzi Village. Wang Manyin had been caught by the militia for selling a few packets of rat poison, after someone reported him.