Chapter 261: It Is Time for Our Generation to Hold the Lamp

In the center of the stage, Luo Mo sat beside a desk.

The stage lighting for the play segment featuring Grandpa Yuan was extinguished at this moment.

Luo Mo raised his head and said:

"【Those brilliant figures who lived in the same era as us are actually no different from the sun, moon, and stars that accompany us; you usually don't think of them often, and you always feel they will be there forever.

Yet they are different from the sun, moon, and stars; once they set in the west, they do not rise again, and once they streak across the sky, they do not return.

The more places his light shines upon, the more you will feel that with their departure, a part of the era has been finalized; when future generations flip through the pages of history, they will clearly see the footnote of this celestial body's fall.】"

These were words written by "Gu Niao Xian Zhi Lai" to commemorate those lovely and great people, and the original post had nearly 1.5 million likes.

Luo Mo used this passage as a bridge; on the other side of the stage, a stream of light flashed by like a shooting star across the night sky, leading the audience to focus their gaze on another 【star】 from ancient times.

When the stage lights came up, the protagonist of the second episode, Song Yingxing, made his entrance.

The scene began with Song Yingxing's elder brother coming to the fields to find him.

The elder brother called for him to come up, and Song Yingxing called for him to come down.

The elder brother looked down on him for not having the appearance of a provincial graduate, actually laboring in the fields.

Song Yingxing then began to show him a stalk of plump rice.

Then, from the rice, he spoke of waterwheels, and from waterwheels, he spoke of writing a book.

"I have decided to gather all useful practical learning together and write a book! A good book that benefits the family, the nation, and the common people!" Song Yingxing said with a smile.

"Good! What is the title of the book?" the elder brother asked.

Song Yingxing lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "The title is... the title is..."

Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration, stood up, and called out: "The title is 'Exploitation of the Works of Nature'!"

The background music swelled at this moment; on the two theater stages, the two groups of Actors from ancient and modern times stood frozen, and Luo Mo stood in the center of the stage, narrating the commonalities between the two, starting with rice to connect the two scientists.

The background music gradually became impassioned, and he concluded: "Today, let us read together this first encyclopedia of China regarding agricultural and handicraft production technology—'Exploitation of the Works of Nature'!"

Bullet comments surged across the screen in unison.

"The title of this book is truly magnificent!"

"I don't know why, but I have goosebumps."

"The quality of this program is truly beyond words, maintaining the same high standard as the first episode!"

"Both of the people who let everyone have enough to eat step by step are so thin."

"I'll just ask one thing: how many people dreamed of being scientists when they were kids?"

"This program is so meaningful! I've learned so much!"

"Not only did I learn knowledge, but my national pride is simply soaring!"

The several theater Actors here were all middle-aged actors. When they received the script for the second episode, they could be said to be under immense pressure, and it was precisely because of this that they requested Luo Chun to provide some guidance.

But the final effect presented was still excellent.

At this time, the program was broadcasting the early preparations for the formal play segment, such as the reading sessions and the construction of the sets.

The audience couldn't help but sigh that CCTV is worthy of being CCTV, and Ning Dan is worthy of being Ning Dan.

As mentioned before, Ning Dan doesn't like small-scale affairs; she likes to tinker with big scenes.

This spendthrift woman's programs are all big productions, spending money like crazy.

But the results are absolutely top-tier!

Whether it's the stage design, the scenes, or the Props and costumes... everything is exquisitely beautiful!

At the reading session, the Actor playing Song Yingxing said: "When I was reading the prologue, the sentence I admired most was: 'This book has absolutely nothing to do with seeking fame and success.'"

After all the early preparation work was broadcast, a segment that appeared in every episode was inserted in the middle.

That was the theater Actor standing in front of a mirror, looking at themselves after changing clothes and putting on makeup, bowing to the mirror with hands cupped in a salute.

What appeared in the mirror were the ancients, while outside the mirror were the people of today.

After the ancient and modern figures stood up and looked at each other with a smile, the main plot of the play officially began, telling the story of Song Yingxing's life from Youth to Old Age.

In terms of technique, it first had the contemporary 【Reader】 Luo Mo chat with the elderly Song Yingxing, with the elderly Song Yingxing narrating his memories himself.

This old man, who looked like an old farmer in the fields, began to talk about the scene when he passed the provincial examination.

He and his elder brother were both provincial graduates; he placed third in the provincial examination, and his elder brother sixth; the Song household had two provincial graduates in one family, known as the "Two Songs of Fengxin."

It was just a pity that in the subsequent metropolitan examination, they first encountered the examination fraud that shocked the imperial court, and the second time, the two brothers still failed to make the list.

Time after time of imperial examinations, time after time of failure.

After six failures in the imperial examinations, both had reached Old Age.

Song Yingxing chose to return to his hometown to take care of his frail and sickly mother and began to organize his Notes.

Later, his elder brother and old friends began to serve as officials, and through them, Song Yingxing began to come into contact with things like sericulture and firearms, increasing his knowledge and learning.

He remained focused on writing his book of practical use.

Many people may not know that "Exploitation of the Works of Nature" is also a book with both text and illustrations, and there are many drawings inside that Song Yingxing drew by hand, which are vivid and lifelike.

This book not only involves aspects of food, clothing, housing, and transportation, but it can be said to encompass everything.

The entire book is divided into three major volumes and eighteen minor volumes.

It begins with the "Grains" chapter and ends with the "Pearls and Jade" chapter.

It carries the meaning of "【Valuing the five grains and devaluing gold and jade】."

It is precisely because of this that when producing this episode, they chose to use Grandpa Yuan and Song Yingxing as an echo between ancient and modern times.

On the day the book was completed, his elder brother and old friends witnessed it by his side.

The elder brother said: "Do not use flowery language, do not write exaggerated articles!"

The old friend said: "The book must encompass the wisdom of our ancestors!"

Song Yingxing said: "The book must include the techniques of the present world!"

Then, the three of them raised their voices in unison, swung their sleeves with force, and said: "This book has absolutely nothing to do with fame or career advancement!!!"

To examinees, this is a useless book.

But what about for others?

This is an incredibly practical masterpiece!

Old Age Song Yingxing sat beside Luo Mo and began to recount how his elder brother and old friend had left him one by one, and how his elder brother had even committed suicide to follow the former dynasty when it collapsed.

Throughout the entire program, there were bridges constructed between each stage.

Just then, the two deceased individuals appeared on a bridge of light, and they stood at opposite ends of the bridge from Old Age Song Yingxing, speaking loudly to him.

"You have grown old..."

"Look at you, you must have gone down to the fields again, right?"

After an exchange of words, the two deceased men said to Song Yingxing: "Virtuous younger brother! Take care!"

The three stood at the ends of the bridge of light, bowing to each other from afar.

When the three of them stood up, and the deceased elder brother and old friend turned around together, just as they were about to vanish on the bridge of light, Song Yingxing—who was already white-haired, with his pant legs rolled up, wearing worn-out straw sandals, and unable to straighten his waist, truly like an old farmer in the fields—said:

"Elder brother! Brother Bo Ju!"

"Yingxing... misses you both."

The two laughed and vanished upon the bridge of light.

Next, there was a segment to transition the emotions, and then, Luo Mo led Old Age Song Yingxing onto the bridge of light to introduce him to the achievements modern people have made in science.

He saw high-speed trains, he saw airplanes, he saw submarines.

In the barrage comments, a viewer wrote: "It looks exactly like a child showing off their proud work to their parents."

With a look of anticipation and curiosity, Song Yingxing crossed the bridge of light and arrived at the Rice Field belonging to Yuan.

He looked at the rice in the Rice Field, his eyes immediately widening, and the hunchbacked old man in straw sandals began to walk quickly forward, going to the side of the rice to look at it incessantly.

The rice here was taller, larger, and the grains were fuller than the stalk he had discovered in the fields during his Youth!

Luo Mo introduced him: "This is a scientist surnamed Yuan, and this is the high-yield rice he developed."

"The field you are looking at now should be the third generation of rice, double-cropping rice."

"We are currently striving to break through a yield per mu of... 3,000 jin!"

Song Yingxing looked shocked, his face filled with disbelief, and he said: "Three thousand jin!?"

"In our time, five or six hundred jin per mu was already considered a high yield!"

"This scientist surnamed Yuan is truly remarkable," he sighed with emotion.

At this moment, the Actor who was responsible for playing Yuan appeared.

It was just that his hair had changed from its previous pitch-black to its current gray.

"Teacher Yuan, please walk slowly. You just received an award yesterday, why are you down in the fields today?" a student said.

"We are people rooted in the fields; what I care about most is my super rice," the thin-framed Yuan said.

Luo Mo pulled Song Yingxing and said: "This is Mr. Yuan."

He walked over, bowed, and said: "Hello, Academician Yuan, sorry to disturb you."

"Little Luo." Yuan smiled as he walked over to shake his hand gently.

The student nearby said: "Oh, are you all recording a program?"

Luo Mo smiled and said: "Yes, we are recording a program called 'Classic China', and we are currently recording the second episode, 'The Exploitation of the Works of Nature'."

Yuan glanced at Song Yingxing, who was also white-haired, and asked: "Who are you playing?"

"Mr. Song Yingxing," Luo Mo helped answer, and added: "Uh, you can just think of him as an Actor."

"Song Yingxing is great; he is a remarkable great scientist," Yuan sighed with emotion.

As he spoke, he extended his right hand to shake hands, while Song Yingxing instinctively raised both palms to perform a traditional bow.

Both great old men were stunned.

—Mutual appreciation.

The moment the two held hands, many netizens didn't know why, but they just felt incredibly moved.

"Crying every episode! Crying every episode! I'm a grown man and I cry every episode!"

"It gave me goosebumps!"

Song Yingxing's eyes turned red.

"What's the matter?" Yuan asked with concern.

Song Yingxing raised his head and said: "I am just moved."

Luo Mo said from the side: "Yuan, I remember you have a He Xia Cheng Liang Meng?"

Song Yingxing asked: "Cooling off under the rice?"

Yuan nodded and said: "I dreamed that the rice in our experimental field grew as tall as sorghum, and everyone could sit under the rice ears to cool off."

"The dream of the world being prosperous and cooling off under the rice is one I also had when I was young," Song Yingxing said.

"To let people eat more rice and never go hungry again," Yuan said.

"Good! Good! That is good!" Song Yingxing said three times.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Sir, could you... give me a stalk of rice?" Song Yingxing asked earnestly.

"Certainly." Yuan immediately took one from the experimental field.

Holding the rice, Song Yingxing looked at it as if he were viewing a supreme treasure of the human world, the most precious thing.

Before walking back to the bridge of light that connected the ancient and the modern, he smiled and said: "I have no regrets."

He bowed to Luo Mo, and Luo Mo hurriedly returned the gesture, saying: "Mr. Song, please rest assured, the ancients had 'The Exploitation of the Works of Nature', and the people of today are carrying on the past and opening up the future."

Song Yingxing smiled with gratification, holding a plump ear of rice in his hand, treading in his worn-out straw sandals; with his dark skin, he walked step by step toward the bridge of light.

As he walked, he muttered, "The world is prosperous, resting in the shade beneath the rice stalks; remarkable, truly remarkable!"

A gate of light closed at this moment, and the bridge of light dissipated.

Luo Mo added two sentences to the end of this episode.

"We cannot resist the tide, but we will always remember the lighthouse."

"It is time for our generation to hold the lamp; sleep well, two gentlemen."

(PS: First update, requesting monthly tickets! Also, if you are interested, you can search for "Classics in China" on some short video platforms to watch some clips. Some of the content in the text has been modified and processed by me. Tired, tired, tired.)

(End of this chapter)