A courtyard house, equipped with a fishing system, living in an era.

Yan Bugui?

Or is it Pianye?

Or perhaps it's the ragpicker?

These three people should all be around the same age...

"Hello, what can I do for you?"

Seeing that Xu Pingan finally turned to look at him, the middle-aged man introduced himself with a grin.

"My surname is Yan, and I'm a student teacher at the Sixth Elementary School..."

Upon hearing the other person's self-introduction, Xu Ping'an's anxiety finally subsided.

The courtyard is filled with love...

It turns out I didn't travel back more than seventy years, but to the world of movies and TV shows!

"Hello, Teacher Yan... What can I do for you?"

"Hey, I didn't bring enough earthworms, so I was wondering if you could spare a few for me, young man? Could you perhaps lend me ten or eight?"

Xu Pingan was taken aback. Such a big appetite?

Ten or eight of them... why don't you just rob them?

She shook her head slightly: "Sorry, it's not convenient!"

Yan Bugui's smile froze, and he just stood there awkwardly on his face.

Xu Pingan wasn't unwilling to give him face.

This guy is really shameless!

The spot where the two of them were fishing was right next door.

Xu Pingan looked over there and saw a bottle of bait.

If you were just trying to take advantage, that would be one thing, but asking for ten or eight earthworms right off the bat...

You don't even need to be familiar with the plot; just talk to him a couple of times, and you'll know he's an insatiable person.

"Hey! You, I just saw several earthworms on your land..."

"What a coincidence! I just saw your bait bottle too..."

Yan Bugui blushed, now he knew where the problem lay.

Yan Bugui, who was only in his early thirties, probably didn't have the thick skin he would later develop.

"Hey, if you're not going to give it to me, then don't. Why make such a fuss?"

Seeing Yan Bugui's discomfiture, an old man on the right came over with a smile.

"Hey... young man, can I trade you two earthworms for one? I haven't caught a single fish all afternoon, but you seem to be catching fish non-stop, so I'd like to try my luck."

It is said that a person's joys, sorrows, and other emotions are all controlled by hormones secreted by the body.

Although Xu Pingan also returned at the age of 40, his body is now younger, and his mindset is also younger in all aspects.

"Alright, forget about replacing them. It's just two earthworms, is it really that big of a deal?"

The old man on the right has gray hair and beard.

In 2026, this would be the physique of someone over 70.

But even Xu Pingan couldn't be sure in 1951.

Fortunately, he didn't rely on bait to fish.

If it weren't for the fear that the "willing to take the bait" scenario would be too shocking, Xu Ping'an would have given them a demonstration of fishing with a straight hook.

"Hey kid... why did you give it to him but not me?"

Xu Pingan ignored him.

People should just say what's so special about Xu Ping'an's bait if they want to try it...

What's with this sneaky, underhanded scheming?

There are still ten or eight...

Do you think I'm stupid?

Continue chatting with the white-haired old man on the right.

"What does that Mr. Han do?"

"Didn't he introduce himself? He's a chef at the North Repair Institute. Xiao Han's cooking skills are quite good; he's a master chef in the kitchen."

"How come a chef like him goes out to buy things himself?"

The white-haired old man was also stunned by Xu Ping'an's question.

"Is there anything wrong with that? Isn't it always the chef who comes out to buy things? He buys whatever he wants... He often has nothing to do, so he comes here to fish in the afternoon and goes back when it's almost time to cook dinner, sometimes buying a dozen or so fish to make a meat dish..."

Xu Pingan finally understood.

It seems like management is particularly lax these days.

Many factories are still privately owned. Except for industries like steel, which are vital to the nation's economy and have begun to undergo public-private partnerships, most other factories will have to wait five or six years before they can be fully operational.

I just don't know what this so-called North Repair Factory is.

However, seeing that Han Dehou could go fishing on his own and sell the fish directly to the factory after fishing, Xu Ping'an was also tempted.

Although he was only proficient in basic Sichuan cuisine, in those days, it should have been quite easy for him to become a cook in a factory.

Although the fumes are pungent, at least it's more reliable than a life of toiling in the fields, right?

I chatted with the white-haired old man while fishing.

Xu Pingan then brought up three or four more fish.

In the end, they were all sold to this white-haired old man for 3500 yuan per kilogram.

It has to be said, people living in the capital city are really rich...

This scene made Yan Bugui, who was standing next to him, extremely envious.

As it got dark, night fishing was out of the question.

Forget headlamps, there aren't even any streetlights here right now...

At night, you can't see anything at all!

Xu Pingan planned to find a place to eat and then go buy some daily necessities.

Although there were prepared dry rations in his backpack, Xu Ping'an clearly didn't intend to skimp on himself.

These days, if someone wants to eat something good, the most famous places are Quanjude and Donglaishun.

Neither of the two places is cheap for Xu Ping'an's current situation.

But as Lu Xun aptly put it: "Since we're already here..."

Although Xu Pingan made some money in town, he still felt the pinch when he ate roast duck at Quanjude!

I ate half of it, packed the rest up, and stuffed it into my backpack.

I also ordered a few more shumai from Du Yichu.

That's the good thing about the system's inventory: time stands still.

It's warm when you put it in, and it'll be warm when you take it out...

When you're almost home, you can take them out and carry them in your hand to let them cool down a bit.

The two young women assigned to my family by the system, don't let their young age fool you, they're not easy to fool.

After dinner, Xu Pingan went straight to the polishing factory outside Qianmen.

The blacksmith shops and general stores here are one after another.

You can buy all kinds of daily necessities here, such as pots, pans, stoves, etc.

Xu Pingan also found a broken wooden bed at the flea market here.

Xu Pingan is currently short of money and doesn't plan to buy any new necessities except for clothes and bedding.

These things weren't intended for him to take home, but rather for use in his space.

For example, tonight, with this broken wooden bed, he can sleep directly in his own space without having to look for a place to stay.

Most of the villagers who went to the city but couldn't make it back home ended up sleeping under bridges.

But Xu Ping'an was a respectable man after all; how could he really spend the night in a bridge hole?

He'd rather sleep outdoors than stay in a cramped space!

Now it's much safer; with a bed and blankets, I can sleep more soundly outdoors.

On Qianmen Street, Xu Pingan bought almost everything he wanted.

I tore off four feet of cloth, intending to go home and let my two younger sisters figure out how to make two new outfits for themselves.

Now that I've become the head of the Xu family, I have to act like one properly.

It's not that he doesn't want to buy ready-made clothes, but rather that ready-made clothes are simply too expensive.

Xu Pingan didn't plan to sell the two small yellow croakers in his hand.

This thing is hard currency, and even in 2026, it won't diminish its enormous value.

In a corner of that one-acre planting area.

A bed, covered with dry straw, and on top of that, a straw mat.

Xu Pingan sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over an old wooden table he had found and writing and drawing.

Tomorrow I need to buy fruit trees, tea trees, medicinal herb seeds, calves, lambs, piglets...

It's uncertain whether it will rain in this area, but Xu Ping'an still needs to prepare a water tank.

Whenever you go to a place with water, fill the water tank, and you can use it to water plants anytime!

Xu Ping'an scribbled on the paper, not knowing which things were available in Beijing and which were not.

I'll just have to ask them one by one tomorrow!