The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

morning.

"Brother! Get up quickly!!" The younger sister's voice was clear and bright.

The younger brother then took matters into his own hands, shaking him through the thin blanket: "Big brother, if you don't get up now, you'll be late for work!"

The commotion instantly dispelled Li Kaixin's lingering sleepiness. She sat up abruptly, looked at the two pairs of bright eyes in front of her, and her morning grumpiness turned into a helpless smile.

"Get up! Get up!"

After quickly finishing breakfast, I arrived at the transportation station.

The familiar smell of gasoline wafted over, and Master Chen was already in the yard, holding a wrench and clanging away at the tires of a truck.

"Good morning, Master!" Li Kaixin quickly ran over.

Master Chen didn't even look up.

He hummed in agreement, but his hands continued moving.

After removing the tire, he straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his oily hand, and looked at Li Kaixin with the same serious expression.

"I asked you those questions yesterday, about the ins and outs of driving, and you answered them pretty well, like someone who's actually been behind the wheel," Master Chen said in a loud voice.

Then, he changed the subject and his tone became serious.

"But that's all superficial; anyone can learn a thing or two from watching it for a couple of days."

"The real skill of driving isn't on the road, it's under the car! Especially for those of us who drive long distances, what do we do when the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere? You have to know how to fix it yourself and diagnose the problem!"

Mr. Chen then pointed to the truck beside him: "Why is it so hard to get a driver's license? It tests whether you understand it!"

"You need to know what's wrong with the car, where it's making noise, where it's shaking, whether it can still be driven, and how to fix it! Yesterday I saw you, you could talk a few words while driving, but when it came to fixing the car, you were completely clueless!"

These words, though blunt, were sharp and insightful, striking a chord deep within Li Kaixin.

Li Kaixin knew that in this day and age, a master craftsman who was willing to point out your shortcomings so bluntly was truly treating you as one of his own and genuinely wanting to teach you skills.

"Master, I understand!" Li Kaixin stood up straight, his eyes serious.

"I will definitely learn car repair diligently and will never let you down!"

Looking at Li Kaixin's serious expression, Chen Dabing's tense face seemed to relax slightly, a barely perceptible curve appearing on his face.

He turned and walked to a greasy toolbox, and from the bottom he pulled out a notebook wrapped in kraft paper, with frayed edges and covered in dark oil stains.

He solemnly handed the notebook to Li Kaixin, his voice lowering slightly: "Take it."

"These are notes I've accumulated over ten years of driving. I've noted down how to identify common problems and how to handle emergencies. My handwriting is terrible, so please don't mind."

Li Kaixin took the notebook with both hands; the paper felt rough and was stained with oil.

Carefully turning the page, I found dense, crooked, yet extremely meticulous handwriting. This was no notebook; it was clearly the culmination of Master Chen's hard work and experience accumulated over more than a decade!

A surge of heat rushed into Li Kaixin's eyes and nasal cavity.

With the secret realm, there may be no shortage of food and drink, but the unreserved transmission of skills and the earnest expectations of a father and brother are kindnesses that cannot be measured by anything else!

I'm so glad I met Master Chen, instead of those master craftsmen who only know how to boss around apprentices and keep secrets from me.

"Master...I..." Li Kaixin's voice was choked with emotion.

Looking at his apprentice's excited and solemn expression, Chen Dabing finally revealed a very faint but genuine smile and waved his hand.

"Alright, stop with the mushy stuff. Go wipe that pile of tools clean first, make sure you know them all before we talk."

"Why!"

Li Kaixin responded loudly and carefully tucked the notebook into his pocket.

That day, I followed Master Chen and listened to him explain everything about vehicles.

Time slipped away quietly like that.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, Li Kaixin was still somewhat reluctant to leave. He said goodbye to Master Chen and his two other apprentices, Wu Tian and Qian Dazhuang.

Instead of going straight home, they first went to the grain station.

Taking out the grain coupons he had exchanged at the black market yesterday, Li Kaixin bought five jin of snow-white rice without hesitation!

Looking at those glistening grains of rice, an indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up inside me. Eating cornmeal these past few days has been a bit too much for someone in the 21st century like myself.

Next, they went to the supply and marketing cooperative, where the brown sugar coupons, cigarette coupons, and liquor coupons came in handy.

I bought two jin of brown sugar wrapped in straw paper, which was dark red in color but had a pure aroma, as well as two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes and two bottles of Fenjiu liquor.

The sales clerk couldn't help but glance at him a few more times as she saw him produce so many in-demand tickets.

Carrying her things, Li Kaixin returned to the courtyard house with light steps.

The courtyard was quiet; most people hadn't come home from get off work yet. Only my younger sister sat on the doorstep.

"Big brother!"

Upon seeing Li Kaixin, her younger sister's eyes lit up, and she pounced over like a cheerful little bird.

When she saw what Li Kaixin was carrying, she exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Rice! And brown sugar! Brother, you're amazing!"

Seeing her younger sister's face gradually becoming rosy due to the improved meals over the past few days, Li Kaixin's heart melted.

He ruffled his sister's hair and laughed, "What do you mean by 'getting rich'? Now that I have a job, our family's life will only get better! We'll steam rice for dinner tonight!"

"Great!" the younger sister cheered, taking the lighter brown sugar and holding it in her arms like a precious treasure.

Li Kaixin returned home early today, put on her apron again, and cooked the meal herself.

Just as the rice was almost cooked, my parents and my younger brother, who had been playing wildly somewhere and was covered in sweat, returned one after the other.

As soon as she entered the backyard, her mother smelled the rich aroma of rice. Then she saw the Fenjiu liquor on the table and the rice that Li Kaixin was scooping out of the pot.

The mother's eyes widened in surprise: "Kaixin, where...where did all this come from? How much money and tickets did this cost!"

Although the father had some suspicions, he still turned his gaze to his son.

While serving rice to his family, Li Kaixin explained, "Dad, Mom, I exchanged the tickets at the pigeon market yesterday... It didn't cost much."

Li Kaixin didn't mention the black market, not wanting to worry his parents, and only mentioned the pigeon market.

"Now that I have a salary, and I can earn more in the future, our family should start eating better. This brown sugar is for Mother and my sister to nourish their bodies, and the wine is for Father."

The mother listened, feeling both distressed about the money spent and touched by her son's filial piety.

In the end, he only muttered softly, "You child... don't be so extravagant in the future, you need to be more careful with your money..."

As he spoke, he picked up the two packets of brown sugar and wine, as if they were fragile treasures, and carefully locked them in the wooden cabinet in the room.

The younger brother watched longingly as the brown sugar was locked away, but his attention was soon drawn to the fragrant rice in front of him.

Under the dim light, the family sat around a small square table, eating a rare meal of white rice with stir-fried cabbage and wild boar meat, creating a warm and contented atmosphere.

Outside the window, night deepened, and the lights in each household in the courtyard came on, only to dim quietly over time.

......