The Beginning of the World: Going to the Countryside as an Educated Youth

Zhao Dongchuan stopped hesitating and followed the old lady into the house.

The interior decoration was simple and elegant. There were several sofas covered with white gauze in the living room, and a long coffee table that looked like it was made of huanghuali wood. On it were several sheets of rice paper covered with calligraphy written on them, weighed down by a tiger-head paperweight. Surrounding it were some scattered papers, pens, and tea sets.

In addition to the portrait of Chairman Mao that is common in ordinary households, there is also a landscape painting hanging not far away on the side wall of the living room.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. I was just practicing calligraphy and it looks so messy! Come and sit down!" The black old lady said with a smile and invited Zhao Dongchuan to sit down.

After saying that, he picked up the teapot beside him and poured a cup of tea for Zhao Dongchuan.

He took the tea respectfully and said, "Thank you, old lady!"

The two sat on the sofa and started chatting.

"Xiao Zhao, I heard from Lao Wang that you came to the provincial capital this time to publish some works?" asked the black old lady after taking a sip of tea.

"Yes, I finished writing it some time ago, so I came here to try my luck!"

"Yeah, it's great that young people have ideas and energy, unlike me, an old woman, who has trouble picking up a pen to write!"

"What's the situation now? Is everything going well?" the black old lady continued to ask.

“We have almost finished the discussion and it will probably be officially announced soon!” Zhao Dongchuan said with a smile.

"Okay, okay, no wonder you haven't come to see us after being here for so long. It seems that your writing is very good. After it is published, I, an old woman, will also take a look at it more."

As the two were talking, there was a shouting sound from outside the yard.

"Grandma! Grandma!"

A clear voice like a silver bell came. As the saying goes, the voice comes before the person.

When Zhao Dongchuan heard the voice, he felt strangely familiar and thought to himself: "It can't be such a coincidence, it's that little girl!"

As the door opened, a slender woman in a floral dress walked in. Her legs were straight and long.

This is not who Liu Yifei is.

Zhao Dongchuan was so upset, it was really a coincidence!

"Hey, why are you here too?" Liu Yifei asked in surprise.

"Are you surprised? Are you surprised?" Zhao Dongchuan waved his hands and smiled slightly.

"Um, do you know each other?" The black old lady was also a little surprised.

"Yes, grandma, this is Zhao Dongchuan, the author of "Love Life" that I mentioned to you before!"

"Zhao Dongchuan... Zhao Dongchuan... Oh, I am really getting old and confused... Why does it sound so familiar!" The black old lady also said with sudden enlightenment.

"This Lao Wang didn't explain clearly on the phone. No wonder... No wonder..."

Zhao Dongchuan pinched the letter of introduction in his pocket which he had not yet taken out. It was not really Director Wang's fault. It was Zhao Dongchuan's fault for not asking Hei Lao for help. He was a cheating idiot and did not really need his help.

"Do you know my grandfather?" Liu Yifei asked.

"Well, I've heard of you for a long time, but I've never met you. It just so happened that I came to the provincial capital this time, and Director Wang asked me to visit his old friend Hei Lao!"

"Well, that's a coincidence!"

"Hahaha, I didn't expect that..."

Old Lady Hei looked at the two people who were talking and could not help but nod secretly. Zhao Dongchuan and Liu Yifei, one talented and the other young and beautiful, were really a perfect match. However, she was not a talkative woman. She would let the young people handle their own affairs.

"Xiao Zhao, let's have lunch at our house today. Yifei, follow me to the kitchen to cook!"

Without giving Zhao Dongchuan a chance to refuse, Mrs. Hei led Liu Yifei into the kitchen.

"Grandma, I remember that the Cultural Bureau arranged someone to take care of you. Where is she?" Liu Yifei said as she walked with the old lady in black.

"Your grandfather didn't want to do it. He said he didn't want to take advantage of the government and didn't want to order people around like a capitalist, so he turned it down..."

Zhao Dongchuan watched the two of them enter the kitchen and prepare to cook, and hurriedly followed them.

"Let me help!" He certainly couldn't just stand there and watch an old man cook for him, even if he was a guest.

So with the help of Zhao Dongchuan, the meal was quickly prepared. For Zhao Dongchuan, who had basic cooking skills, making some home-cooked dishes was just a piece of cake.

When Mrs. Hei saw that Zhao Dongchuan was doing a great job while her granddaughter was washing and picking vegetables nearby, and the two of them were chatting and laughing in perfect cooperation, she couldn't help but feel more satisfied.

The food was served and the three of them sat down. The old lady also took out a bottle of aged Shaoxing rice wine from the cupboard.

"Drink this rice wine to warm your body!" After saying this, he put the rice wine into a basin filled with hot water and boiled it.

The three of them ate, drank a glass of rice wine from time to time, and chatted. Liu Yifei talked about her experiences in the magazine, and inevitably mentioned Shi Jian's incident a few days ago. The old lady had seen a lot of things in her age, so she just shook her head.

…………

After dinner, Zhao Dongchuan said goodbye and left. Before leaving, Mrs. Hei told him to wait for Mr. Hei to come back and then come over for a gathering, and not to leave in a hurry. Zhao Dongchuan nodded silently without comment.

Old Madam Hei didn't say anything else, but just asked Liu Yifei to send him off.

"Are you leaving?" Liu Yifei asked.

"Well, let's wait a few days, then I'll go back after taking a look around." Zhao Dongchuan thought that he would go back after completing the system task. He had been here for quite some time, so he might as well go back and take a look.

Liu Yifei remained silent. She felt a little reluctant to let him stay, but she had no reason to let him stay. After all, they were just acquaintances and could barely be considered friends.

When she first saw the poem "Love Life", she was moved by its connotation. She had experienced a lot of turmoil when she was young, so she could understand this kind of mood, so she naturally had a better impression of the poet. Moreover, Zhao Dongchuan was not only talented, but also handsome, tall, kind, and had good character, so it was natural that she would be attracted to him...

Zhao Dongchuan waved and said goodbye to Liu Yifei.

After returning to the guesthouse, Zhao Dongchuan washed up and continued to do his homework. He did not put down his homework during this period.

There is only one algebra book left in the "Self-study Series of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry" that I have not finished learning, but I have finished the others.

In the following days, Zhao Dongchuan did not go to the magazine again, and his term as "nanny" ended.

He began to travel around this thousand-year-old capital alone, watching the fireworks of life in the surging crowd, squatting on the ancient city wall and touching the mottled wall bricks, feeling the vicissitudes of time. He also secretly used the breath-concealing technique and the system glasses to enter the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor to watch the excavation work of archaeologists, but it had not been sorted out yet, and there was only some soil mixed with broken limbs and corpses.

He felt a peculiar aura from far away deep inside. He couldn't tell what it was, but it seemed to be the legendary evil spirit. He felt a little uncomfortable and didn't dare to go any deeper. He just took a look and withdrew.

He kept wandering around this ancient city, experiencing the collision between the ancient times and the new era...