Big shots worry about national affairs every day, and their seemingly random decisions in the room often completely change the fate of many people.
But for ordinary people, they don't think about these things at all. Many ordinary people don't care about national affairs at all. Those things are too far away from them.
For ordinary people, the most important thing is still life - as someone once said, "If our motherland is worth sacrificing for in war years, then by the same token we should live well for it in peace times."
Living a good life is what ordinary people care about most in peaceful times.
After entering the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, all the towns in Ming Dynasty became extremely busy. Shops, no matter how big or small, hung up red lanterns and posted advertisements for big sales. It seemed that everyone was busy preparing for the arrival of the New Year.
I have been busy for a whole month, just to have a good time on New Year's Eve and the first day of the lunar month. Although the New Year holiday is not long, only the 30th and the first two days of the lunar month, it is still the most important time of the year for the people of Ming Dynasty.
The most important holiday.
Although people have been busy preparing for the Spring Festival for nearly a month, in the end, on the first day or two of the Lunar New Year, everyone can have fun together, and then life returns to normal.
After the Spring Festival, people started working again. Soon, before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the flavor of the New Year slowly faded away.
Although in the southern hemisphere, traditions such as the twenty-four solar terms have lost their meaning, people are still used to looking at the almanac - February 19, the twelfth day of the first lunar month, rain. The meaning of this solar term is the beginning of rainfall and the magnitude of rainfall.
It’s mostly light rain or drizzle. As the saying goes, “Spring rain is as valuable as oil”...but it’s useless near the sea.
When the iron-gray sky revealed a hint of fish belly white in the east, the monks in the temple rang the copper bell in the bell tower - there are 37 temples and 26 Taoist temples in Linhai - but there are no nunneries. After all, the gender of the Ming Dynasty
It can't be said to be balanced.
In Linhai, there are both churches and temples. The low and rich bells of the temples echo over the streets, which may seem a bit disturbing, but they also remind people that it is time to get up.
When the clock struck in the temple, Zheng Haisheng had already been jogging in the park by the sea for an hour. Four years of military service had made him accustomed to getting up early. Even when he returned home from a visit to relatives, he kept some of his habits.
"Brother, you got up so early!"
As soon as he opened the door, Zheng Haisheng heard the voice of his fifth sister Hai Lan. His younger brothers and sisters had already gotten up.
Among the seven Zheng brothers and sisters, except for Zheng Haisheng, who was admitted to the military academy, the second and third eldest children all went to work apprenticeship schools. Only the eldest sister went to high school, and the fifth sister, Hailan, went to either junior high school or elementary school.
Like many people, the second and third children lived in factory dormitories as soon as they entered the factory. For young people, living in factory dormitories is closer to the factory and more convenient. They usually only go home when they have a rest.
"I got used to it when I was in the army. By the way, Hailan, I looked at your foreign language homework last night. Did you choose French?"
All students in Daming must take a foreign language course among Spanish (Portuguese), English, French and German. Although many people will choose Spanish or Portuguese because of convenience, most Chinese will choose English.
French, German.
"Yes, brother, I plan to apply for an exchange student to go to France after I am admitted to high school."
Exchange students is a program funded by the "Ming-France Friendship Association". In order to enhance the friendship between the two countries, each country sends 3,000 high school students for exchange studies every year. This program was implemented in 1878 and has been implemented so far.
In 4 years, a large number of students from France and Ming Dynasty attended high schools and universities in both countries.
The little sister's answer made Zheng Haisheng smile.
"You should go out and have a look, but if you want to go, you have to be good enough, you know..."
Hai Lan said indifferently before the eldest brother could finish his words.
"Haha, brother, don't you know? Those with the best studies will not go abroad, and those with the worst studies will not go abroad. Only those with average studies like me will go abroad."
This is also true. Ten years ago, a large number of students from Ming Dynasty would study abroad and learn advanced knowledge from European and American countries, but what about now?
Nanhua University, Yingtian University and Linhai University are not only the most famous universities in Ming Dynasty, but also well-known around the world. They also have world-class scholars and professors. The higher education in Ming Dynasty is not much worse than that of its European and American counterparts. At most, it is only in some areas.
The field is slightly different.
Although there are still thousands of Ming Dynasty students studying abroad in European and American countries every year, fundamental changes have taken place compared with the past, and it is no longer inevitable for the best students.
"You girl!"
Zheng Haisheng said after smiling at Fifth Sister.
"In the end, you always learn for yourself. By the way, Xiaoqi, you didn't finish your homework very seriously. Yesterday I saw..."
The reason why Zheng Haisheng talked so much with his brothers and sisters today is because his family leave is coming to an end today and he will return to the army today.
After a brief chat with his brothers and sisters at the dinner table, he said goodbye to his parents before leaving, and then he took the tram to the train station with his suitcase.
For soldiers, this seems to be a normal thing, parting again and again, traveling again and again.
Compared with the past, although the scale of Linhai Railway Station has expanded a lot, as the end of the only Pacific Railway in the Ming Dynasty, it always looks like a sea of people. The people in the station are very crowded, and people flow from all directions around him.
Passing by each other, they went to the various exits of the station and went their separate ways. The station echoed with the monotonous and harsh sound from the loudspeaker, but no one paid attention to this kind of announcement sound. The passengers who were in a hurry felt that
Everyone has their own plans, and everyone is on their way in a hurry.
Zheng Haichu, who was carrying a suitcase, was also on his way. He was delayed a little on the way, and now the train was almost arriving.
"Passengers please note, an urgent news is being broadcast now..."
The voice on the radio did not slow down Zheng Haichu. He quickened his pace again. The same was probably true for other passengers. After all, everyone was passing the road at the train station.
"According to the urgent dispatch from the Imperial News Agency on February 18, local time, the puppet Qing Emperor Guangxu announced his abdication that day. After announcing his abdication, he evacuated to Tianjin by train that night under the protection of the British minister. He boarded a ship at Haihe Port in Tianjin and fled to the United Kingdom...
"
Zheng Haichu, who was hurriedly on his way, was completely stunned, and most of the others were also like this.
They stood there in a daze, with different expressions on their faces, and they were speechless for a moment...