Chapter 76: You Invented This Too?

“This is the Central People’s Broadcasting Station.” A crosstalk performance was playing on the radio. Grandpa and Grandma remained silent, listening intently and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

There truly wasn’t much entertainment in this era.

With just this radio, Zhou Yimin suspected that his grandparents could listen from morning till night without getting bored.

What’s more, once word got out, the old men and women in the village would likely all gather at their house. Before long, it would become the elderly gathering spot.

That was fine by him—at least Grandma wouldn’t be bored anymore.

Zhou Yimin didn’t disturb his grandparents and went outside to tinker with the Solar Stove. He poured water into the aluminum kettle and placed it on top to heat.

“Yimin, what’s that thing?”

Not far away, Zhou Zhiming wiped his sweat and paused his work to ask.

The house had been topped with beams now, and the tiles were being delivered to the roof. Some people were crouched on top, laying them down. Laying tiles required precision—a single mistake could lead to leaks when it rained.

Of course, there wasn’t much rain in the north. Snow was a bigger threat, as heavy snowfall could collapse a house.

“It’s a Solar Stove. For boiling water.”

Zhou Zhiming and the others looked puzzled, their eyes fixed on the strange-looking device.

“How do you light a fire with it?” they asked, confused.

Zhou Yimin replied, “No need to light a fire. Simply put, it uses the sun’s energy to boil water. On really sunny days, don’t we feel our skin burning? That’s Solar energy. I’m just using this thing to focus that energy onto the kettle.”

“Can that really work?”

Zhou Yimin had explained it in a way that was easy to understand, and even the farmers more or less grasped the idea. Still, it didn’t feel all that convincing—it wasn’t something they’d ever seen before.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Zhou Yimin said, not bothering to explain further.

Seeing is believing.

At that moment, the old man came out of the house, planning to head into the village and gather some of his old buddies. Partly, he wanted to show off. But more importantly, he wanted everyone to witness something new.

When he saw the Solar Stove, he was full of questions too.

In fact, when he’d first returned, he had noticed this strange contraption, but had been distracted by the radio inside.

Zhou Yimin said a few more words to his grandfather.

The old man often told the younger generation that he’d walked over more bridges than they’d walked roads, eaten more salt than they’d eaten rice—he considered himself worldly and experienced.

But at this moment, he felt utterly ignorant.

Boiling water without burning anything? It sounded impossible.

“Yimin, wait a bit. I’m going to call some people over,” the old man said.

Alright then! Zhou Yimin removed the kettle and went back to the kitchen to prep ingredients for today’s meal. As long as he was home, he’d always cook himself. Grandma and Third Aunt were way too stingy with the oil—he couldn’t get used to the taste.

Soon enough, the old man came back with a crowd of elderly folks in tow.

Among them was the old village secretary.

Everyone was envious of Zhou Yimin’s grandfather. Life just kept getting better for him—new clothes, fine-grain food, a wristwatch, and even a flashlight at night. Technically, the family also had a bicycle. And now, they had a radio too.

Even city folk weren’t necessarily living this well.

More importantly, the house wall still proudly displayed a certificate of merit and a newspaper article about his grandson. Those were marks of honor!

Everyone was gathering at their place now.

Some even joked that the good feng shui of Zhou Family Village’s ancestral graves must have all been concentrated in their household.

The ancestors were playing favorites!

Shouldn’t blessings be distributed more equally?

“Yimin, come on, show this group of country bumpkins something new!” the old man shouted.

These guys had been saying he was bragging all the way here, so he didn’t bother holding back—he just called them bumpkins outright. After all, he was the senior here; even calling them turtle spawn wouldn’t have been a problem.

Zhou Yimin came out from the kitchen and greeted everyone. Some of these old men were actually considered his “bros”—which was just ridiculous.

“It’s not instant. It’ll take around twenty minutes,” Zhou Yimin said as he placed the aluminum kettle on the Solar Stove again.

The old man glanced at his watch. “I’ll time it. Good! Let’s go inside and listen to the radio.”

The crowd filed in and gathered around the radio. The sounds of crosstalk came through the speakers, and everyone began chatting excitedly.

“Quiet down!” Grandma shot them a glare.

The room instantly fell silent. Everyone looked for a place to sit, and those who couldn’t find one just stood.

If you could listen to the radio, standing was no big deal.

After the crosstalk ended, it switched to opera. A few of the elderly even chimed in with a few lines—it was all good fun.

The radio programs weren’t all that monotonous nowadays either. Some explained topics about China and the world, some introduced historical heroes, and there were shows for opera, storytelling, music, crosstalk—even foreign language learning.

The content varied, but it always boiled down to the same themes: news, entertainment, and education.

Zhou Yimin brought out a pile of sunflower seeds and placed them in the middle so everyone could snack while they listened.

“What are you all looking at? If you want to eat, then take some,” Grandma said.

Everyone had been watching Grandpa and Grandma.

With her permission, they finally reached out for the seeds.

Now this was true enjoyment—snacking on sunflower seeds while listening to the radio. Something you’d only dare dream of.

Naturally, they didn’t forget to compliment Zhou Yimin, saying things they knew the old couple would love to hear.

Their praise was genuine, not just flattery. If they had a grandson like Zhou Yimin, they’d be grinning in their sleep. Even just half as good as him, and they’d feel like their ancestors were blessing them from above.

“More and more villages are following our lead and developing the riverbed,” the old village secretary said to Zhou Yimin.

“What’s the commune’s stance on it?” Zhou Yimin asked.

“What else can they do? No one’s breaking any rules, and a dry riverbed is unpredictable—it’s not suitable to be included in the grain collection quota. They have to consider how the people feel. So, the commune is just turning a blind eye,” the village secretary said with a laugh.

Zhou Yimin nodded. “That’s good to hear.”

On his way back today, he’d noticed that the vegetable seeds he’d scattered earlier had already started to sprout.

Just then, Zhou Zhiming shouted from outside, “Yimin, the water’s boiling!”

Everyone rushed out to see.

Sure enough, the lid on the aluminum kettle was bouncing—clearly, the water inside was boiling.

“It really can boil water!”

“This thing must be expensive, huh? Only Yimin can afford something like this. His uncle sure is lucky.”

…

Only now did the old man consider the cost. He quickly asked his good grandson, “Yimin, how much did this cost? If it’s expensive, take it back to the city. We’ve got plenty of firewood in the village.”

In his view, a “high-tech” item like this belonged in the city. His good grandson lived alone there—it must be a hassle to boil water. With this Solar Stove, it would be much more convenient.

Zhou Yimin smiled. “Grandpa, I designed this. The factory didn’t charge me, and I’ll even be getting a reward later.”

The old village secretary and others stared, eyes wide.

You invented this too?

Grandpa and Grandma grinned so wide their faces nearly split. A grandson with real talent—that was better than anything.

“Excellent! Wonderful!” Grandpa clapped his hands in joy, elated.

The other old men and women were so envious their faces nearly twisted out of shape.

(End of Chapter)