Chapter 006: Teacher Sang
However, Chen Dongsheng is already eighteen years old, and in the original timeline, he would have graduated from high school. Even based on the national average, he should be around 1.7 meters tall, but Chen Dongsheng is only about 1.62 meters.
A bowl of rice was eaten while being picked at, and in the end, Sang Bai simply stopped picking and directly sent it all into the belly of autumn harvest
Continue!
The little girl was a bit shy, and after fidgeting for quite some time, she still could not utter a single word
Therefore, Teacher Sang positioned her teaching point at the entrance, precisely where the sunlight could reach.
There is nothing much to do, so Sang Bai simply took Qiu Shou out for a stroll.
My father calls me Bamboo Ox
From a distance, the small river appears quite narrow, but upon approaching, one discovers that the river's surface is actually seven to eight meters wide. On both banks of the river, there are willow trees, which seem to have been planted around the same time as those beside the village path.
There are quite a number of trees around the village, primarily consisting of poplar and locust trees, along with some jujube trees and others, in any case, it is rather mixed
Lü Yan
After consuming two peaches, Sang Bai began to pat his belly and started to fuss about the food
Thus, we returned to the space to continue handling the grain
Is there nothing to do today
Such things indeed make it somewhat difficult for Sang Bai, who was born several decades later, to accept
At noon, Sang Bai wanted to invite Chen Dongsheng for a meal, but who would have thought that this fellow vanished in the blink of an eye.
She is called San Niu! said a little boy next to her
Sang Bai thought there was nothing much to do, so he went out and broke off a branch, squatting down in place to teach Chen Dongsheng how to write with the branch
Sang Bai made a sound of acknowledgment and then asked, "Is there any book for me to read?"
Sangbai is not accustomed to this rice, not because the rice is of poor quality, but because there are too many impurities in it, such as rice bran and unhulled grains mixed in, and there are even small stones.
"I just happen to have something to ask you," Sang Bai immediately waved his hand
Upon seeing the children enter the room, Sang Bai gestured for Qiu Shou to lie down and serve as a physical warm comfort for several small and thin children
On the south side of the road, there is a stretch of willow trees, which is clearly a carefully arranged setting. All the willow trees are approximately the same thickness, and the spacing between them is also uniform, roughly around 7 to 8 meters.
Is there really no easier way?" Sang Bai felt a bit puzzled
As the sun hung high in the sky, there was nothing much to see, just mountains and trees, and at this time, everything was covered in a blanket of white snow, so Sangbai turned back home after the autumn harvest
Having just filled his belly with the autumn harvest, he was now thinking of taking a nap when he heard the command from Sang Bai. He immediately lay down on the ground, and before long, soft snores began to emerge.
Each willow tree requires an adult to embrace it fully. Although it is winter, the thousands of drooping strands of the willow's crown still allow one to sense the delicate and swaying grace of its lush foliage.
Indeed, just as in the case of the Sangbai conjecture, these rice grains immediately sprouted. With two more spoonfuls of water poured in, Sangbai found himself holding a bundle of heavy, golden-yellow rice.
As for the use of livestock to pull the grinding stone, it is even simpler. Many people may not have seen what a stone mill looks like; it is essentially a cylindrical stone with patterns on its surface. The flat ends have a concave hole in the middle. When secured with a wooden frame, livestock can pull it to crush the grains off the stalks.
However, Sang Bai will not easily draw conclusions now. The people of Liu Shu Village are all malnourished. Based on Sang Bai's experiences from his original timeline, someone who develops to his level would at most be a middle school student.
He wrote their names on the ground in order, and then wrote them stroke by stroke. With something to do, time passed quickly, and before he knew it, the sky had darkened again
The new group of children stood at the door, and I won't even mention their attire; it was the same old style. Some of the girls were wearing slightly colorful clothing, with their earthy red jackets patched over and over again. Even Sang Bai noticed a frail little girl wearing only a pair of single shoes.
After finishing the meal, Sang Bai was just about to take a break when a commotion from outside reached his ears
There are indeed some electronic products that have been drawn in, but these are completely useless. In a small village where oil lamps are still needed at night, isn't it a bit far-fetched to talk about electricity?
The surface of the river is frozen solid; not to mention the mulberry and cypress trees, even standing on it during the autumn harvest poses no problem at all
"Alright, everyone come in, what Sang Baige has to say is quite interesting"
Willow Tree Village is situated between two mountain ranges, with the lowest point being the riverbed. The small village is located on a hillside to the north, and a narrow path runs past the doorsteps of each house in the village
Go ahead! If you want to learn, then...
Without Chen Dongsheng, Sang Bai could also rely on cooking. He boiled a pot of hot water, directly filled it with his original thermos, and tossed it into the space
You and you, come over and sit close to the bear, stretch your feet under the bear's belly, it will be warmer...
The coats worn by each of these children are not particularly thick, and they seem to shiver a bit while standing in the cold wind
Sang Bai pointed to the girl who appeared to be the largest among them with his left hand
Upon entering, he turned and headed straight for the well, scooping a ladle of water and pouring it directly over the grains of rice in his hand
"How about it, Brother Sang Bai, could you teach me to read?" Chen Dongsheng said
The village is inaccessible, as the autumn harvest would frighten the poultry, so Sangbai strolled along the river heading westward
Before long, as if by magic, two large piles of rice appeared beside Sang Bai, with a pile of wheat on the left and a pile of rice on the right, all of which were unthreshed, including the stalks and roots along with the grain
A woman with a round face full of small pimples and bulging eyes suddenly appeared in Sang Bai's mind
As for home appliances, Sangbai has everything, from refrigerators to microwaves, and even some antique appliances. Going back to 1981, Sangbai also catered to the psychology of those who like to show off by selling some nostalgic items. Just two days before 1981, Sangbai even sold two vintage record players online.
He picked out a dozen or so unhulled rice grains and a few millet grains from the bag, then Sangbai turned and entered the space
Sangbai has been completed
On the opposite bank of the small river lies farmland, and near the river there may be rice paddies. There are two waterwheels still standing along the riverbank. Further up the slope, there are wheat fields. It somewhat resembles terraced fields, but the slope here is gentle, and the villagers have not leveled the soil; instead, they have directly created ridges along the slope.
"Forget it," Sang Bai glanced at him and thought it was a waste of time, so he opened the door and led the young man into the courtyard
At first, these children were a bit scared, but once one of them touched the bear, the rest quickly gained courage. Before long, several of the little ones were no longer afraid
Chen Dongsheng retorted, "What other options are there?"
The children standing at the door are also braving the cold, and now everyone's attention is not on Sang Bai at all, but is entirely focused on the autumn harvest
While rummaging through the groceries he brought in, Sang Bai indeed stumbled upon some treasures, including a small lantern and several lighters
How to thresh?
However, in the end, most of it ended up in the belly of the autumn harvest
Upon exiting the courtyard, Sang Bai discovered that not only had Chen Dongsheng arrived, but he was also followed by seven or eight young boys and girls, all appearing to be quite young
Not yet at the small courtyard, I noticed that Chen Dongsheng was coming this way
The wheat seedlings are growing well, but the condition of this field is somewhat concerning; not a single piece is regular in shape, and from time to time, some rocky outcrops can be seen within the field
With a wave of his hand, Chen Dongsheng summoned the children to the dilapidated hall of Sangbai.
The enormous black bear is clearly much more interesting to them than the mulberry tree
Further west lies desolate mountains; here, there is nothing but snow. After walking for half a day, not even a single rabbit was seen among the mulberry trees, let alone anything else. Here, apart from shrubs, there are only a few stumps left from felled trees.
Chen Dongsheng said: "Hmm"
From the stumps, it can be seen that these trees have been cut down for several years, as some of the stumps have rotted, and some have even been cut down a second time, with new branches as thick as a bowl being removed from the stumps. These trees were not harvested by the villagers, but were felled by the state to be exchanged for foreign currency
Only one literate person? Sangbai is a bit confused
What kind of threshing machine is used here? asked Sang Bai
My name is Dafeng
After listening to Chen Dongsheng's explanation for quite a while, Sang Bai finally understood what he meant by the "striking rod". It is essentially a long rod with a movable small wooden rod attached to the top. When the large rod is swung to strike the wheat stalks, the small rod generates a significant force due to inertia, which can knock the wheat grains off the stalks.
This is Chen, Erdong Chen, this is Dongsheng, why is it called Erdong, pay attention to this...
Today everyone is learning to write their own names, so let's introduce ourselves, starting with you
It is not acceptable to close the door and turn off the lights; this dark room resembles a cellar. If we do not hang up a light, closing the door will make it as dark as night.
My name is San Gouzi
Tsk!
This has truly distressed Sang Bai
Looking at the young lady again, she instantly became much more pleasing to the eye; this little Lv Yan is at least not overly distinctive.
... ...
Sang Bai was momentarily at a loss for words; the entire village was filled with illiterates, blind to the truth.
My name is Juanzi
It seems that boys are all like animals, while most girls are like those flying in the sky, such as swallows and phoenixes
The teaching of the Sangbai sect is quite formal, but the students are somewhat slow; it takes them a couple of hours to even write their own names properly, often missing a dot or a stroke.
The small vegetable gardens extend from the entrance of the peasant's home all the way to the riverbank, surrounded entirely by thorny vines. It appears that this enclosure could not have been established in just one or two years; it must have taken at least a decade or more for the thorny vines to grow to such a size
Chen Dongsheng hurried over, saying: "What is it, Brother Sang Bai?"
Life has been quite dull, so Sang Bai decided to find some books to read, even if it is just comic books, as it is better than being idle to the point of frustration
Chen Dongsheng said: "What can happen on such days, everyone is just staying at home, but this kind of relaxed life won't last for long, at most twenty days, and then we will have to get busy with the work in the fields"
However, the following names are filled with a rural charm
Chen Dongsheng, however, said: "In our village, apart from Grandpa Lv Er, there is no one else who can read. There are no books at all, and even Grandpa Lv Er does not know many characters; he can roughly only write his own name."
Chen Dongsheng was taken aback: "What threshing machine? Do we still use machines for harvesting grain? Oh, it might be used outside, but we don't use it here. We directly use a pestle, or we use a mill pulled by a mule..."
"You are the one called San Niu, I am called Lü Yan!" The young girl seemed a bit displeased
Sang Baige, they also want to learn to write with you
rice
Planning to stay here for a while, Sang Bai must certainly consider how to live in the future. Food is one concern, and meat is another. As for vegetables, that is quite easy; being in the countryside, it is impossible to lack leafy greens.
Now, looking across the fields, all is covered in white snow, with a faint glimpse of a patch of wheat seedlings breaking through the snow blanket, peeking out with their heads in the cold wind
Chen Dongsheng pushed open the door and exclaimed
When I opened my eyes, I found that the sky was just beginning to brighten, with a hint of fish-belly white emerging in the east
Sang Bai also seemed to be quite bored, yet surprisingly spent the entire morning teaching with great enthusiasm
Emerging from the space, Sang Bai realized that it was already dark. He had originally planned to find Chen Dongsheng to inquire about something, but it was no longer appropriate at this time
After some consideration, Sang Bai had no choice but to arrange his study area inside the house. Although the lighting indoors was dim, it at least provided some shelter from the wind and other elements
Only after messing around with a bunch of things did Sang Bai return to bed to sleep
Sang Bai does not understand that this is not a matter of decades later. Our great China, robust and strong, has foreign exchange reserves exceeding 30,000 billion US dollars, while at this moment, the entire country only has 2.7 billion US dollars. National construction requires funds; purchasing machinery and equipment necessitates foreign exchange. Logging for money to ensure development is also a last resort.