The sun never sets in America

Chapter 227 Journey to the Han Dynasty: Going to Monan

Monan, Shouchun...

(Denver, Colorado)

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A train consisting of twelve red carriages, emitting black smoke, was running non-stop on the vast Colorado Plateau.

Lin Yusheng looked out the window at the strange-shaped peaks and the flat land sandwiched between the mountains. On the flat land, large tracts of golden wheat were planted.

This is the first time Lin Yusheng has seen such a scene. In Lingnan, he saw tea leaves, in Hanzhou he saw acres of factories, and even in Mobei, he saw deserts and horse farms.

Only in Monan, he seemed to see a microcosm of the entire Han Dynasty. In Beixi City, he saw a small city full of life, a large number of coniferous forests, and streams running through the city. Everything was so intoxicating. (Fort Collins, the fourth largest city in Colorado)

There, he talked with local military dignitaries, and one of them even showed him that there were bullet holes in his body. The bullet hole was two centimeters wide, and this was a wound after healing. If it had just been hit, Lin Yusheng couldn't imagine what the scene was like at that time.

And it was this short man with a strong Bashu accent who said, "If we continue to fight with the Americans, I will go and knock their heads again!!"

Why did Lin Yusheng do this at that time? ?

The injured veteran answered without hesitation:

"For our country, for our future generations!!"

This sentence shocked Lin Yusheng even more than the previous sentence. You must know that in his heart, military personnel are unjust and military personnel are rude. These comments that are unique to civil servants and demean military military officers have been poured into his mind since childhood.

So much so that Lin Yusheng had formed an inherent impression that although the Han army was very capable of fighting, it only relied on the sharpness of its firearms, which was nothing remarkable. At most, it was only a little stronger than the Eight Banners, not much better. (At this time, the tiger skin of the Eight Banners soldiers has not yet been peeled off)

But after hearing this sentence, Lin Yusheng's understanding was completely refreshed. For the first time, he felt what a country is and what power is! !

"Come on, please put your feet back..."

"Oh, they sell canned cigarettes and hot meals..."

On the train, there was a sudden cry of hawking, disrupting Lin Yusheng's thoughts and pulling him back from his memories.

Lin Yusheng looked back and saw a middle-aged woman in a yellow uniform pushing a trolley in the aisle behind the carriage, constantly selling food and cigarettes that could satisfy people's cravings.

Lin Yusheng touched the half-pack of cigarettes left in his pocket and immediately greeted the railway salesman who was about to come to him.

"Sir, what do you want??" The railway salesman, who was dressed as a middle-aged woman and had a mole on the corner of her mouth, saw Lin Yusheng's raised left hand, immediately pushed the cart, and came over, with a thick smile on his face. sound.

"Bring me some water..." Lin Yusheng replied directly.

"I'm sorry, sir, we don't sell cigarettes here. We don't have such high-end cigarettes." The saleswoman said to Lin Yusheng directly.

In fact, high-end cigarettes like Liushui are rare on trains. After all, most of the people who take trains are ordinary people, and they smoke cheap cigarettes. The things sold on trains tend to be affordable. .

"What's there??" Lin Yusheng came from a rich family. Even when he came to Han, he smoked high-end cigarettes like Liushui and Zhiyin, which cost less than one Chinese yuan. He rarely smoked, only a few times. I bought it only when I couldn't buy it.

But now, the same problem is encountered.

"There are hammers, farmers, getting rich, and spirits..." The saleswoman kept selling the cigarettes in the cigarette case to Lin Yusheng.

Lin Yusheng felt dizzy hearing these strange names, and finally he could only say:

“Then come and get a strong bar!!”

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the saleswoman looked at him carefully and said with some suspicion: "Sir, this cigarette smells very strong. How about I change it for you?"

"That's it, no need to change it." After hearing this, Lin Yusheng waved his hand back and replied nonchalantly. In Lin Yusheng's heart, he didn't take it seriously at all.

"Twenty copper dollars." The saleswoman said to Lin Yusheng while taking out the cigarette from the cigarette case.

Lin Yusheng fished for a long time in his pocket before he took out a Chinese dollar. Most of his money was in his luggage, and he didn't have much money in his pocket.

"Here..." Lin Yusheng handed over the already somewhat blackened Huayuan silver coin in his hand. The salesperson didn't mind it. He looked at it for a few times and threw it into the cash box. Then he put his hand in and counted about ten coins. The large amount of copper coins was handed over to Lin Yusheng.

(Copper yuan is divided into one copper yuan, five copper yuan, or even ten copper yuan)

After Lin Yusheng took the copper coins, he looked at the steaming rice in the cart, swallowed, and then asked: "How do you sell rice??"

"Rice costs fifteen coppers a portion. It has both meat and vegetable ingredients. Why don't you order one?" The saleswoman didn't wait for Lin Yusheng's reaction and directly filled a large bowl of rice, then topped it with a large spoonful of stew. It looked very delicious. rich.

Lin Yusheng found a ten-copper yuan and a five-copper yuan for the other party from the copper coins he had just found. Then he took the steaming bowl of hot food with both hands and placed it on the long table in front of him shivering. superior.

It was the first time he took a train. Lin Yusheng didn't understand what the long table was. He thought it was a partition separating the opposite side. Unexpectedly, it was actually used for eating. This made him, a rustic from the south of the Yangtze River, , opened my eyes severely.

"Your chopsticks..." Just when Lin Yusheng was about to eat, a pair of chopsticks made of yellow wood was inserted in front of his eyes.

"Thank you!!" Looking up at the saleswoman who spoke with a northern Anhui accent, Lin Yusheng thanked her and then ate his seemingly luxurious lunch.

The stew on top of the rice is cabbage stewed with pork, and there are a few slices of carrots in it. It seems to be quite nutritious.

Looking at the scenery passing by outside the window, listening to the noisy sounds in the train, and eating the food bought on the train, Lin Yusheng felt for the first time that human happiness could be so simple.

This was something he had never experienced before when he visited a brothel or chatted with an oiran.

Scratch...

Lin Yusheng finished the bowl in one go. He had never eaten so much food before. He even felt that if there was another bowl, he could still eat it. He didn't know why. In the end, it could only be attributed to the atmosphere and beautiful scenery.

Draw……

A match struck, and just as Lin Yusheng was about to smoke a cigarette, he was slapped by a simple-looking middle-aged man next to him.

"Brother, you can't smoke in the car. To smoke, go to the smoking room." The middle-aged man said sincerely.

Lin Yusheng looked at him, then looked up at the police officer walking towards him, blew out the match, and walked to the back of the aisle. Before leaving, he left a message: "Thank you, brother!!"

In fact, Lin Yusheng was not such a person. In his early days, if a poorly dressed person came to dissuade him, Lin Yusheng would have ignored him. But after such a long time, he learned what it means to be a good person.

It's funny to say that after being a landlord and gentry in the Qing Dynasty for thirty years, Lin Yusheng only learned how to behave like a fly and a dog, and the so-called communication, but he didn't know how to behave! !

After coming to Han for a few years, I learned everything. Not only did I cut off the pig tail that symbolized shame, but I also saw a new world, a new world that had never existed before! !

…………

"Cough cough..."

Lin Yusheng was in a smoking room surrounded by several men, blowing in the cold wind coming in from outside. He just lit the cigarette of some strong liquor, took a long puff, and finally choked until now.

The people next to him asked him if it was his first time smoking, which made Lin Yusheng very embarrassed. It was only then that he understood what the saleswoman just said.

The smoke was indeed so strong that Lin Yusheng was speechless. In the end, Lin Yusheng couldn't get used to the taste of the cigarette, so he had to stub out the cigarette, throw it in an iron trash can, and find a well-ventilated place to blow some air.

Not long after the whistle blew, a young man carrying a bag came next to him. He was said to be a young man, but he looked older, but he was actually a teenager.

The boy was wearing cheap canvas work clothes, and they seemed a bit too loose. Lin Yusheng guessed that the clothes were not his.

The face of the young student next to him looked extremely immature, and he was looking around. It seemed that it was his first time riding a train alone, and he was still very nervous.

Moreover, Lin Yusheng also saw a school badge with a knotted rope sticking out of the boy's pocket.

Such academic badges are mostly worn by students above high school.

In the Han Dynasty, school seals are often used to distinguish schools and academic qualifications. High schools use red seals with red strings, and universities use yellow seals with yellow strings. They are stuck on the chest with the school written in the middle, which represents the origin of the student.

It is a distinguishing mark created by the Ministry of Education of Han Dynasty.

Such a sign made Lin Yusheng immediately interested.

"Is this your first time taking a train, little brother?" Lin Yusheng asked, finding a reason he thought he could.

"Me??" The young man was obviously panicked. He didn't know why someone wanted to talk to him. He didn't do anything wrong, right? ?

"Don't be afraid, little brother. I saw you alone and thought it was your first time taking a train." After Lin Yusheng finished speaking, he wished he could give himself a slap in the face. This reason was so bad that he didn't even know why. To say such a stupid thing could not be more stupid.

But the young man obviously couldn't see the loopholes in Lin Yusheng's words, and answered seriously: "This is my second time taking a train. The first time was in Hanzhou seven years ago..."

The young man talked to Lin Yusheng about his experience when he first came to Han as a child and took a train to Mobei. There was no railway in Mobei at that time, so his family had to change trains and take a horse-drawn carriage to get there.

"It turns out that the little brother is from Mobei. Let me tell you, the little brother has the straight spirit of the lonely smoke in the desert..." Lin Yusheng changed his caution just now and began to praise the young man openly and braggingly. This young man is very embarrassed.

The young man rubbed the back of his head out of habit in embarrassment, his face turned red, and he was speechless for a long time.

"I wonder what your little brother's name is??" Lin Yusheng saw that they were done with the pleasantries, so he went straight to the point and asked for his name.

"Long Yunsheng..." The young man hesitated and said his name.

In fact, his surname was Long, which really caused him a lot of troubles. At least in school, his surname was a joke.

Even calling him is like, oh, that dragon, is that dragon from our class here? ?

Although it was a joke, it made it difficult for him to talk about his surname with others. After all, this surname still conflicted with the current emperor, but it was not taken care of by the current emperor, or in the past dynasties.

"It turns out to be Brother Long." Lin Yu clasped his fists at Long Yunsheng, who was so frightened that Long Yunsheng also clasped his fists in response.

"Brother Long, are you going to study??" Lin Yusheng finally talked about the issue he cared about from the beginning.

"I'm going to study. I'm going to study in Shouchun." Long Yunsheng bluntly answered Lin Yusheng about the purpose of his trip. He seemed to have lost all the nervousness he had just now. That's how he was. He was very scared at first. But once they get to know each other better, he can tell better than anyone else.

"University, this is good. I think Brother Yilong looks like him. If he takes the imperial examination in the future, he will definitely be the number one scholar. It is not impossible to become an official in the cabinet!!" Lin Yusheng heard Long Yunsheng say that he After going to college, I immediately became enthusiastic.

Since coming to Han, he has also learned about Han's education system.

It is divided into primary school, middle school, and university. Among them, Lin Yusheng is most concerned about the university. Listen to the name, it is exactly the same as the university in the Four Books and Five Classics. It is a powerful place at first glance.

And more importantly, the number of college students in Han Dynasty is currently very few, less than 1,200 so far. This means that college students basically have no worries about finding a job. After graduation, they either take the imperial examination or work as middle-level and senior-level employees in companies.

This kind of gold content is not comparable to the proliferation of college students in later generations.

And what Lin Yusheng cares about most is that the Han Dynasty also has imperial examinations. Although there are no more young scholars and talents, as long as there are imperial examinations, Lin Yusheng thinks that Han Dynasty is a place worth staying.

After all, for a Jiangnan gentry family like his, there is a huge difference between not having the imperial examination and having the imperial examination.

For this reason, after Lin Yusheng took over his youngest son, he sent him to the best middle school in Xijing. (I found a lot of people and spent a lot of money)

Because his studies were out of touch with those of the Han Dynasty, our classmate Lin Wensheng had to go to class during the day and attend elementary school classes in the evening, forcedly doing so at a young age, looking depressed.

Lin Yusheng only had one hope, which was to train Lin Wensheng to take the college entrance examination, then take the imperial examination on the official path of college, and finally become an official.

This is also the main reason why he has stayed in Han! !

But Long Yunsheng hit Lin Yusheng hard with one sentence: "I don't want to take the imperial examination. I want to do research and study the principles of electricity."

"What, electricity??" Hearing this, Lin Yusheng was shocked. Why did he go to get electricity instead of taking the imperial examination? ?

What's the use of that thing? Can it be used as a prime minister? ?

Lin Yusheng's mind was full of these, and he didn't understand the significance of electricity to the world at all.

"This electricity is currently a key national research direction. It is..." Long Yunsheng talked non-stop about the significance of electricity to Lin Yusheng.

As for Lin Yusheng, the more he listened, the more something was wrong. He always felt that these things were too far away from him, just like a mortal listening to a book from heaven.

"Mr. Lin, do you know that the telegraph machine is also driven by electricity? If it were not for electricity, information would not be able to spread so fast..." Long Yunsheng talked to Lin Yusheng about the principle of the telegraph machine and the role of electricity. Applications in daily life.

When talking about these academic things, Long Yunsheng seemed to have opened up the two channels of Ren and Du. The cautious and even timid Long Yunsheng disappeared just now, and was replaced by a confident man who talked about academics. As natural as being at home.

On the side, Lin Yusheng felt that he was mistaken. He did not expect that such an outstanding young man could be so pedantic and nerdy.

On the opposite side, Long Yunsheng was still talking about the so-called theory of electricity and the natural phenomena that may be encountered in life, such as static points and lightning rods.

Lin Yusheng interrupted Long Yunsheng impatiently and asked him a question:

"Brother Long, if you develop this electricity, what benefit will it bring to you personally??"

Lin Yusheng's family is a businessman and they never do anything that is not beneficial.

"Benefits?" Hearing this, Long Yunsheng obviously didn't know how to answer.

When Lin Yusheng saw this, he struck while the iron was hot and continued to say to Long Yunsheng: "Brother Long, I am more than twenty years older than you. I understand that it is painful to study hard in this cold window. You said you have already gone to college. After studying, take the imperial examination, and if you get the Jinshi, your parents will be so proud of you, and your life will be so glorious..."

Lin Yusheng talked to Long Yunsheng about the so-called benefits of the imperial examination, as if as long as he took the imperial examination, all his problems would disappear.

Lin Yusheng even said that the imperial examination was almost a panacea that could cure all diseases.

Long Yunsheng, who was on the side, thought for a while and then answered Lin Yusheng’s question:

"Mr. Lin, I think we cannot always be immersed in the reincarnation of imperial examinations and officialdom. The reason why the West can lead the East is that they value technology and science. If the Han Dynasty wants to be ahead of the West, it must start with science and technology. Let’s start…”

Long Yunsheng looked at Lin Yusheng very sincerely. This was what the seventeen-year-old boy was thinking.

"Then what benefits have you gained??" Lin Yusheng asked a sharp question again.

"When the country is well, we are all well!!" Long Yunsheng was silent for a while, then raised his head and looked at Lin Yusheng with his sincere eyes and replied, his tone resounding, without any hesitation.

When Lin Yusheng heard these words, he fell into silence. He was struggling in his heart and refuting Long Yunsheng's words, but there was always a voice in his heart telling him that all this was true, and what Long Yunsheng said was true. it is true.

Until the end, Lin Yusheng looked at Long Yunsheng's young and somewhat exaggerated face and said something he would never forget in his life:

"Brother Long, you are right, only a country has a family!!"

　Please give me a reward, please give me a monthly ticket

　　

　

(End of this chapter)