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

Wang Anping put the tattered little package on his shoulder into the corner and began to look around the room.

The overall area is not small, about forty square meters.

The room was divided into two sections by a half-brick wall.

Inside, there was a wooden bed, a peeling wardrobe, and a heavy wooden box against the wall.

The outer room contained a square dining table and two long benches, a cupboard against the wall, a stove next to it, and a pile of miscellaneous items in the corner.

After a period of time without anyone being home, a thin layer of dust covered all the objects in the house.

There was a damp, musty smell in the air.

Wang Anping felt a little helpless.

He turned around, picked up an enamel basin from the corner of the room, went to the middle courtyard, and fetched a basin of clean water. There was no running water in the courtyard yet; they were using a hand pump.

Back in the house, Wang Anping rolled up his sleeves and began cleaning.

Just now when I was fetching water.

Several middle-aged women from the Intermediate People's Court were chatting, picking vegetables, or doing needlework together.

Upon seeing a tall, unfamiliar young man, they couldn't help but crane their necks to look, their eyes filled with surprise and curiosity.

Perhaps it was because he was a stranger, and he seemed quite composed.

No one came up to talk to them.

It wasn't until Wang Anping turned around and went back into the house with the water that a hushed murmur arose behind him.

"Splash—"

A broom swept across the blue brick floor, raising a cloud of fine dust.

Just then, a crisp system notification sound suddenly rang in Wang Anping's mind:

[Ding-dong, Storage Planning Proficiency +1, Storage Planning Skill Level: Level 2 (Clutter Organizer 136/300)]

(Learn to categorize items and use old cardboard boxes and sacks to divide storage areas to avoid clutter.)

Wang Anping paused involuntarily.

He never imagined that cleaning could be considered a skill!

Does this mean that if my storage planning skills improve, I can clean my house faster and better?

Will I become a sanitation worker in the future?

In any case, having a skill is better than having none; something is better than nothing.

He grumbled inwardly, but his hands didn't stop moving.

I wiped the table, swept the floor, and tidied up the clutter, cleaning everything inside and out. The system notification sounded intermittently dozens of times, and my proficiency increased by more than thirty points in total.

After much effort, the house is finally almost cleaned up.

Even Wang Anping, who was as strong as an ox, felt a little out of breath at this moment, mainly because he was bored.

He couldn't help but smack his lips and say:

"I still need to find a wife!"

"And she must be a wife who can do housework and is caring!"

but.

Wang Anping was soon relieved.

Compared to the previous life, women in this era have much simpler requirements for men. As long as there is a basic material foundation, it is much easier to find a wife here than in later generations!

Wang Anping piled up some useless junk at the doorway and was carrying a basin of dirty water, preparing to go out and dump it.

Looking up, I saw Yan Bugui standing at his door, holding a stool with a missing leg.

Upon seeing Wang Anping emerge, Yan Bugui's face broke into a smirk.

He waved the broken stool in his hand.

He opened his mouth and asked:

"Anping, look at this stool. It's broken. You live alone, so you probably won't need it anymore, right?"

"How about you give it to me?"

Here it comes!

Here comes the classic scene!

Wang Anping found it somewhat interesting, so he simply placed the basin by the door, squatted down, and put on a troubled expression:

"Teacher Yan, you can't say that."

"Look at this stool, at least it has three legs. If we find a piece of wood and nail it on, it'll be a good stool again."

"Buying a new stool isn't cheap."

Wang Anping's words were absolutely true.

In those days, supplies were scarce, and the prices of daily necessities were not low. The price of a new stool was enough for an ordinary family to buy food for several days.

Yan Bugui was naturally aware of this situation.

But his tendency to take advantage of others had already made him unable to restrain himself.

He pointed to Wang Anping's room and then advised:

"Don't you have two nice stools in your room?"

"You're a grown man, you don't need that many. Keeping these broken ones just takes up space."

"I have a large family, and the kids are always making a fuss, so we never have enough chairs."

"We're all neighbors, we should help each other out!"

"If you ever need any help in the future, just ask me, Lao Yan, I'll definitely help without hesitation!"

talking.

Without waiting for Wang Anping's reply, he picked up the broken stool and walked into his house.

After taking a couple of steps, seeing that Wang Anping didn't stop him, Yan Bugui secretly breathed a sigh of relief and his steps became lighter.

Little did he know that Wang Anping not only did not stop him, but instead followed him leisurely, "escorting" him all the way to his doorstep.

Wang Anping's smile grew even brighter as his gaze fell upon the two pots of vibrant red plum blossoms in front of Yan Bugui's house.

Neighbors should help each other.

Good thing!

"Teacher Yan, you've taken great care of these plants!" Wang Anping squatted down in front of them, his face full of admiration. "Especially these two pots of red plum blossoms, they're so beautiful, blooming so well. They must have cost a lot of money, right?"

That expression really hit Yan Bugui where it hurt.

For Yan Bugui, the flowers and plants he grows and the fish he occasionally catches are things he can brag about, because they are all meaningful things that don't cost money.

Unfortunately, the other people in the yard weren't interested in the flowers and plants.

Meeting a like-minded person who affirmed his abilities, Yan Bugui, looking smug, waved his hand and said:

"Hi."

"What money do you need?"

"I figured all of this out myself."

"The flowerpots were all defective products from kilns outside the city, which I collected myself. These flowers and plants were also dug up by myself from the roadside. I didn't spend a single penny!"

Upon hearing this...

Wang Anping looked on with admiration:

"Teacher Yan, you are really amazing. You can grow flowers so well without spending any money."

"But since it's free, could you give me a pot of these red plum blossoms?"

Without waiting for Yan Bugui to speak, Wang Anping picked up a pot of brightly blooming red plum blossoms and walked straight to his door.

Yan Bugui was now in a panic:

"Hey hey hey!"

"Anping, that's not how it works."

"Although I didn't spend any money, these flowers and plants took a lot of my effort and time, especially these two pots of red plum blossoms, which are very rare and good varieties."

Yan Bugui was about to jump up and down, regretting that he had just said something out of turn.

You're really showing off!

But Wang Anping waved his hand at him and laughed:

"Look at what you're saying."

"Teacher Yan, you're being too polite!"

"Anyway, it's free. You can always find some more later. Don't be so stingy!"

"We're all neighbors, we should help each other."

Yan Bugui paused.

This sounds so familiar.

Suddenly he remembered that this was what he had just said to this kid!

Upon hearing Wang Anping's words, Yan Bugui stopped in his tracks, intending to chase after him.

He's a man who cares about his reputation. He just used that excuse to take someone's chair, and if they argue again, and Wang Anping makes a scene, he'll be too ashamed to face anyone.

"We lost money."

"This kid is not to be trifled with!"

Yan Bugui watched with a pained expression as Wang Anping placed the red plum blossoms at his own doorway, feeling frustrated at his miscalculation.

Seeing Yan Bugui's expression, Wang Anping was quite amused.

They were able to gain an advantage from Yan Bugui.

This is quite rare.

This flower is really nice.

Just as Wang Anping was casually fiddling with the potted plant, the system notification sounded again:

[Ding dong, congratulations host for mastering a new skill: Art of Farming, Art of Farming proficiency +1!]

【Cultivation Level: Level 1 (Seedling Apprentice 1/100)】

(Basic gardening maintenance skills include cultivating hardy plants, identifying crop seedlings, and mastering watering and soil loosening techniques.)