Depart for the provincial capital
But for people in the countryside now, all they seek is stability.
In today’s world, although it’s not like the various movements of a few years ago, even doing a small business, if caught, would lead to being labeled a speculator and profiteer, then arrested and sent to labor reform in agricultural infrastructure construction battles.
Not only would they not earn work points, but they would also have to bring their own food, and it would affect their family members.Only the chickens raised by rural families, if they laid eggs, could be taken to the market to sell for a bit of money to exchange for needles and thread.
The countryside at this time was the most closed off; without a letter of introduction, one couldn't go to other places, which greatly restricted labor enthusiasm.
...
As the dishes were served, the three adults and one child sat around the kang and began to eat.
During the meal, Li Huiying enthusiastically kept serving food to Zhao Dongchuan, while Liu Laogen just smiled foolishly by his side.
Zhao Dongchuan, of course, understood why this was.
Li Huiying knew in her heart that after this visit from Little Zhao, her family and Little Zhao would basically no longer have the chance to meet.
This was a “farewell meal.”
Zhao Dongchuan’s trip was indeed for farewell. Li Huiying was an ordinary person, and her previous willingness to take risks to do things was to repay a debt, and it also took great courage and determination.
He didn't want to drag others into trouble for his own self-interest. Before, he was helping them; now, asking them to do things would be harming them.
Although Liu Laogen was dull, he wasn't foolish. He also understood the implications. He and Zhao Dongchuan were merely passing acquaintances, and it was already fortunate to part on good terms.
Only the little girl, Cao Yuan, was completely unaware, chattering away as she ate.
Of course, Zhao Dongchuan knew that he might come back in the future. After all, this was his first “employee.” He knew her well, and in a few years, when policies changed and normal business could be conducted, they could still work together.
However, he couldn't say much at this time.
Thus, in a unique atmosphere, dinner concluded.
Zhao Dongchuan waved his hand, and in the slightly wistful gazes of Li Huiying and Liu Laogen, he rode his bicycle and disappeared into the night. Cao Yuan at this moment also seemed to realize something, feeling a strange sense of sadness.
The Yangou Brigade in Beiguan was very close to Huangyuan City. He basically entered the city not long after riding.
Zhao Dongchuan returned directly to his dormitory, washed up, and then began his daily studies again.
He still had to keep diligently studying the “self-study series of mathematics, physics, and chemistry”!
...
The next day, after Zhao Dongchuan had breakfast and tidied up briefly, he slung his bag over his shoulder and rode his bicycle straight to Huangyuan Bus Station. As he neared the bus station, Zhao Dongchuan found an deserted alley, put his bicycle into his storage ring space, and then walked towards the bus station.
Upon arriving at the bus station, he bought a ticket. Zhao Dongchuan followed the crowd and sat inside the bus, waiting. This bus would only depart for the provincial capital when enough passengers had gathered.
Those who arrived early might have to wait an hour before the bus departed.
Fortunately, when Zhao Dongchuan arrived, there were already enough people. With a shout from the ticket seller, the bus slowly started and gradually drove towards the provincial capital.
As the bus started, Zhao Dongchuan looked out the window at the scenery along the way. The weather had already turned cold, with mostly withered grass and dead leaves, and a lot of wind and sand, making it look particularly desolate.
After watching for a while and finding nothing new, Zhao Dongchuan simply closed his eyes to rest, then slowly adjusted his breathing and began practicing the Qi Refining Introduction. When this skill is practiced deeply, one can naturally enter a state of cultivation whether walking, sitting, or lying down.
However, this had nothing to do with Zhao Dongchuan; this introductory chapter did not involve guidance, only a meditation practice. He was just practicing with the mindset of 'hitting a pole whether there's a date or not.'
To outsiders, Zhao Dongchuan seemed to be asleep, but in reality, he was practicing.
Time passed quickly, and amidst the noisy conversations of the crowd, the bus slowly arrived at its destination!
Zhao Dongchuan opened his eyes, collected his thoughts, and followed the crowd off the bus.
As soon as he got off the bus, he saw people coming and going on the streets, bustling with activity.
Most were well-dressed, with rosy complexions and full of enthusiasm.
Their mental state looked very good, and it seemed to have more vitality than Huangyuan City.
Zhao Dongchuan felt the difference as soon as he got off the bus. There seemed to be many rural people setting up stalls here, selling vegetables and meat. It didn't look like a bus station at all, but rather like a vegetable market.
This bus station was on the outskirts of the city, with people coming and going. People from the surrounding villages would come here to sell agricultural products, and it seemed that this place also tolerated such small businesses.
Zhao Dongchuan compared Yuanxi County, Huangyuan City, and the provincial capital. He clearly found that the larger the city, the more tolerant it was of such “bourgeois” behavior.
Conversely, the countryside was very strict. At this moment, he deeply realized that people in different places during the same period might be living in different worlds.
Policies, when transmitted from the top down and then to the countryside, often became unintentionally stricter.
On this point, Zhao Dongchuan couldn’t say much; no matter which world it was, this was not something he could get involved with… (Too much writing, afraid of being put in a small dark room)
Following the crowd, he gradually delved deeper into the provincial capital, looking left and right. He was like a bumpkin, with a look of wonder on his face. It wasn't that he hadn't seen these novelties; the prosperity of later generations was incomparable to this.
It was just the differences brought by the era that gave him a sense of exploration.
There were more cars, and even more people on bicycles. There were also people specifically managing and directing traffic, and he even saw lines drawn on the road.
The buildings were also much taller than in Huangyuan City, no longer universally single-story houses, but more tall, grand Western-style buildings, many of which were left over from the bald-headed period.
Zhao Dongchuan was not in a hurry to find the Yan River editorial office. Instead, he found a state-run restaurant. The service attitude in this restaurant was relatively better. The person who looked like the restaurant manager constantly checked back and forth between the kitchen and the dining hall.
The serving speed and service attitude were noticeably better, though only slightly. The sign on the wall no longer read “No unprovoked assault on customers.”
Zhao Dongchuan ordered a few dishes, including some local famous lamb stew with pita bread and a bowl of hulutou, and ate with gusto.
As he ate, he also listened to the conversations of those around him. Whenever he went to a new place, he always liked to listen to people's gossip in restaurants, piecing together these scattered bits of information to form a picture of the city.
This greatly helped him to better integrate into the environment.
After eating and drinking his fill, he paid the bill with food stamps. He prepared to set off to find Zhang Jian, the editor of Yan River, whom he had stood up for a long time.
He hoped he wouldn't be kicked out when they met!
According to the address on the invitation letter, Zhao Dongchuan inquired his way to XX Jianguo Road in the provincial capital. Outside was an iron gate, and inside were houses built with blue-grey cement bricks. The houses were not tall, appearing to be small three-story buildings.
Zhao Dongchuan arrived at the gatehouse.
“Hello, excuse me, is this the Yan River Magazine office?”