Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

The Jia family.

Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu were having dinner.

Recalling what had just happened in the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"That new guy Wang Anping who came to the front yard is no good. He's been so arrogant since he first arrived."

"They say he's Old Wang's nephew."

"He's just a country bumpkin who doesn't know any manners!"

As a fellow young man, Jia Dongxu naturally disliked Wang Anping's tendency to "stir up trouble" as soon as he arrived.

Looking at the bowl full of cornbread, his brows furrowed even more.

He muttered:

"Mom, can't you mix some millet flour into the cornbread?"

"It's so tough on my throat."

"Let's eat wheat flour tomorrow. In two months, my factory might give us a raise. If we keep eating this cornbread, we won't have the energy to work."

"Don't take Wang Anping too seriously."

"A country bumpkin coming to the city, trying to act tough? Does he think he can defy the heavens?"

Madam Jia frowned and said:

"Why eat white flour?"

"I've already made arrangements with someone."

"Aunt Li will bring your blind date over in a couple of days."

"Although this girl comes from the countryside, don't look down on her. I heard she's quite beautiful."

"He's still a very capable worker."

"City girls have too high standards, and it's hard for our family to find one. Country girls are so much better; they're not so picky, they're hardworking and capable, and they're obedient when they marry into the family."

Jia Dongxu himself was unwilling to marry a woman from the countryside.

But when his mother said the girl was pretty, he couldn't help but feel itchy and wanted to see what she looked like.

If it's really unbelievably beautiful, I might as well make do with what I have.

The He family.

Sha Zhu was being ordered by He Daqing to make noodles. While his hands were busy, he kept muttering to himself:

"Dad, why did you pull me just now?"

"That guy in the front yard is way too arrogant. He just came in and started going against everyone. He deserves to be taught a lesson!"

"If I go up there..."

"We absolutely have to have a serious talk with him!"

He Daqing popped a peanut into his mouth, took a sip of his liquor, and looked at his dim-witted son, scolding him irritably:

"Fool!"

"You think you can do that!"

"Why be the first to stick your neck out?"

Seeing He Yushui skipping and jumping outside after finishing her homework, He Daqing quickly reminded her:

"Rain, don't go too far. The noodles will be ready soon. Come back for dinner later."

He Yushui responded crisply and dashed out of the house.

The Yan family's house in the front yard.

Yan Bugui broke the only steamed white dough in half and gave half to Yang Ruihua.

Turning to his three sons beside him, he said:

"Your mother is pregnant now and needs nutrition, so she can eat half of the wheat flour."

"The remaining half will be divided equally among the four of us."

"Nobody benefits."

Yan Jiecheng stuffed the small piece of white steamed bun he was given into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it. It wasn't even enough to fill a gap between his teeth.

Knowing his father's temperament, he didn't dare say anything and silently picked up a cornbread and took a big bite.

Suddenly I remembered something.

He looked at Yan Bugui with suspicion:

"Dad, what's the deal with that flowerpot by Wang Anping's door?"

"Isn't that our family's red plum tree?"

Why did you give it to him?

Mentioning this, Yan Bugui's eyes twitched involuntarily.

However, in front of his son.

Being a shrewd strategist, he naturally couldn't admit that he had been tricked.

Besides, he hadn't come away empty-handed. Thinking of this, Yan Bugui pointed somewhat smugly to Yan Jiekuang's bottom and said:

"See this stool? We traded it with Wang Anping."

"A new stool costs three yuan outside."

"That potted plant didn't cost any money."

"Besides, Wang Anping promised that although the flowers belong to him, I will still take care of them from now on. We've made a profit on this deal!"

The Yan family boys thought this sounded strange.

But they weren't interested in flowers and plants anyway, and besides, there weren't enough chairs at home, so someone always had to carry a brick to make do when eating. Now at least everyone has a seat.

Knowing that his father was always shrewd and calculating and would never suffer a loss, he didn't think much of it and just kept eating his cornbread.

Yang Ruihua touched her bulging belly; she was only two months away from giving birth.

Then I thought of the young man who had just moved in next door.

He couldn't help but frown and say:

"Wang Anping seems like a shrewd man, so why did he suddenly get into a dispute with the entire hospital?"

"It's not a good thing to strain relationships right after moving in; who knows how well we'll get along in the future."

Yan Bugui disagreed:

"Not all of them, just Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family."

"Others are too embarrassed to speak up, wouldn't that be bullying them!"

"Those things weren't placed in front of their house."

"Didn't you see?"

"No one else said anything just now, we were waiting to see what Yi Zhonghai would say."

"Besides, that kid isn't one to suffer a loss easily. Let's just wait and see!"

On the other side, Wang Anping knew without a doubt that there were many people secretly watching him in the courtyard, but he didn't care.

Inside, a 15-watt light bulb cast a dim, yellowish glow.

He poured the boiled water into a thermos, and since there was still some warm water left in the pot, he put a steamer rack on it and put the braised meat and steamed buns he had just bought into a plate to heat them up.

It's so cold. It was warm when I bought it, but it's completely cold now.

The sounds of children playing could be heard from outside the courtyard.

Children these days don't have heavy schoolwork, and they can finish their homework in just a few strokes.

Those from poorer families would help their families paste matchboxes and fold envelopes to supplement their income. Those who didn't have to do any work would gather in the yard to run around and make noise, since there weren't many other forms of entertainment.

With nothing to do, Wang Anping squatted by the door and looked at the pot of red plum blossoms.

Seeing that the soil in the flowerpot was a little dry, and finding it troublesome to go back and scoop out water, and looking around to make sure no one was watching, he quietly drew some spring water from his spatial storage and sprinkled it into the flowerpot.

Suddenly, a system notification sounded in his mind, startling him:

[Ding-dong, Cultivation Proficiency +20! Cultivation Level: Level 1 (Seedling Apprentice 26/100)]

Wang Anping was stunned.

Whether it's cooking skills, storage planning, or the newly unlocked art of farming, my proficiency had always increased little by little before, and I've never seen it increase by 20 points all at once like this.

He pondered for a moment and roughly guessed that it was because of the spring water.

He couldn't help but think to himself:

"Could this spring water accelerate plant growth or improve plant quality?"

He stared at the red plum blossoms for a long time but saw no change. He tried watering them with spring water, but the system did not respond. He had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being.

Just then, two petite figures walked out from the central courtyard.

They were two little girls, about eight or nine years old, with pretty faces, but their complexions were a bit thin—a common trait among children these days.

"Rain, Xiaoling, wanna come out and play?"

Wang Anping greeted him with a smile.

He still remembered that the two girls were He Yushui, the younger sister of Shazhu, and Xu Xiaoling, the younger sister of Xu Damao.

Xu Xiaoling did not appear in the original drama.

But Xu Fugui was still in the yard at this time, and his daughter was naturally there as well.

The two little girls looked at Wang Anping, this stranger, and nodded timidly without saying a word.

Wang Anping chuckled and teased them:

Do you recognize me?

"My name is Wang Anping, you can call me Brother Wang."

He Yushui's lips moved slightly, but in the end, she murmured:

"Brother Wang."

Xu Xiaoling, standing beside her, pursed her lips and remained silent—just now at home, her parents and brother were discussing Wang Anping, saying that this new young man was not a good person.

Seeing He Yushui call out, Wang Anping smiled and took out two pieces of fruit candy from his pocket, handing them to her:

"Good girl, here's some candy for you."