Wasteland Farming, Manual for Raising Human Cubs

Chapter 42 Learning to Read

He put Zhao Xiaoxiu down from his arms and squatted down himself.

After landing, Zhao Xiaoxiu realized that the low shed in front of him was also a stall.

An old man wearing glasses and looking skinny was crawling on the wooden boards in the shed, with a box of books piled casually in front of him.

A small solar camping lamp placed on the book box illuminates the small bookstall.

When he saw someone stop, the old man didn't even lift his eyelids, staring blankly at a certain point with a dazed look, looking not very clear-headed.

Zhao Xiaoxiu bent down, stretched out his five claws and waved them.

The old man's dazed eyes slowly turned to her waving little hand, and stayed there for a few seconds, as if waking up from a dream, and said to the father and daughter: "Five points for five books, pick whatever you like."

Zhao Xiaoxiu said "oh" and turned around to see her father selecting things seriously, and she exclaimed.

"Dad, do you like reading?" Zhao Xiaoxiu asked curiously.

She also squatted down, her small body next to Zhao Gang's big body, and took this book to look at it, and picked up that book to have a look at it.

Just words, no pictures, not interesting.

Zhao Gang selected two story books that he thought were suitable for children to read and answered Zhao Xiaoxiu's question:
"Dad doesn't like reading. Dad wants to teach Xiaoxiu how to read and recognize words."

Zhao Xiaoxiu, who had stacked several thick dictionaries into a tall tower, was stunned. "Huh?"

Zhao Gang tapped her chin which was about to drop, helped her close it, and continued to choose books in the bookcase with his head down.

In the end he chose two story books, a high school geography book, a collection of 300 Tang poems, and a thick book, "The Origin of Humankind."

These are all knowledge that has nothing to do with the current mutated viruses and can still be used.

Zhao Xiaoxiu stopped stacking the books and stood up excitedly. "Dad, are you serious?"
Zhao Gang gave the old man five points and put the book into his backpack with satisfaction.

On the way back to the cowshed with his daughter, Zhao Gang said expectantly, "Dad, can you tell Xiaoxiu a bedtime story tonight?"

Zhao Xiaoxiu, who was already a little sleepy, nodded blankly. Why did she feel a little bit expectant for some reason?

As a result, when she was secretly looking forward to it, she quickly washed her face and feet and climbed into bed.

Zhao Gang leaned against the wall and opened the first page of the storybook.

"Two high school students were walking home from a Halloween costume party. As they passed a cemetery, they suddenly had the idea of ​​walking through it."

Two tentacles appeared at the right time, jumping around in front of Zhao Xiaoxiu with bloodshot eyes.

"When they were halfway there, they suddenly heard a knocking sound. They turned around and saw an old man kneeling in front of a stele and carving words with a chisel."

A third tentacle appeared, curved into the shape of a man's back, with his back to the other two tentacles that suddenly dared not jump.

One of the student tentacles touched the back tentacle.

Zhao Gang said in horror: "Oh my God, what are you doing here so late at night? We thought we saw a ghost!"

The tentacle in the back slowly turned its head and angrily exploded its flesh buds.

Zhao Gang roared: "You are a bunch of unworthy descendants. You carved my name wrong! I will crawl out and change it."

The two student tentacles instantly shrank in fear. It turns out that you are not human!

Zhao Gang lowered his head to look at his cub, "Xiaoxiu, guess what word his unworthy descendant carved wrongly?"

After watching a wonderful tentacle show, Zhao Xiaoxiu confirmed and asked: "Dad, two high school students encountered a ghost, right?"

Zhao Gang raised his eyebrows slightly, "This is not the point."

"The key point is that we need to know that the old man's unworthy descendants made the mistake of carving the character 戌. The strokes of 戊 and 戌 are very similar, so they carved 戌 as 戊, so the old man had to change it back himself."

After Zhao Gang finished speaking, he waited expectantly for feedback from his cub.

But Zhao Xiaoxiu never figured out the connection between this ghost story and the children's bedtime literacy story.

Seeing his cub's confused expression, Zhao Gang scratched his head suspiciously. The cub seemed a little unintelligent today. However, if the child couldn't learn well, it must be the teacher's fault.

So Zhao Gang took out the half-broken pencil he had just bought from the night market stall with one point, and wrote the two words "Wuxu" on the blank space of the book.

"Xiaoxiu, come, follow dad and read - wu wu xu xu, wu xu!"

Zhao Xiaoxiu looked embarrassed, but she didn't want to disappoint her father's expectant eyes, so she opened her mouth and repeated it carefully.

"wu戊xu戌, wuxu" What should she do if she feels like a mentally retarded person?

Learning to read is indeed hypnotic. As Zhao Xiaoxiu read, her eyelids began to droop wildly until they closed and could never be opened again.

Two tentacles tried to help her eyelids open, but failed.

Zhao Gang looks at his study progress for today, 2/10.

The cub is usually very smart. Zhao Gang feels that something is wrong. Isn’t this how other children learn to read?

But in Shanyuan's memory, he taught his daughter to read while telling stories.

Zhao Gang thought about this problem for a whole night and decided to try a different approach next time: recognize the words first and then tell the story!

Because I didn’t tell the members of the Qinghe Hunting Team last night that they would not go to the cleanup area today.

As the time for the cleanup team to set out approached, Meng Laoer drove the motorcycle he had acquired yesterday to the cowshed.

"Brother Gangzi, why haven't you packed up yet?" Meng Laoer urged anxiously, "The main force has already left!"

Zhao Gang stared at the motorcycle under him. He was the first one to discover this thing yesterday.

But he felt that means of transportation that required diesel to run were too useless and not as convenient as his own bicycle.

There were also various other old furniture, which were of no use to the father and daughter now, so they didn't bring anything back.

Now that Meng Laoer had filled up his motorcycle with gas, he set his sights on him again.

The monster doesn't know that it is very rude to take back something that has been given away. He only knows that if he wants it, it is his.

Fortunately, Zhao Xiaoxiu saw through her father's intention in time and pulled Meng Laoer back from the brink of death.

"Uncle, we're not going today. I forgot to tell you yesterday. I'm sorry." Zhao Xiaoxiu was very sorry.

Meng Laoer felt a little disappointed, but also respectful. He drove his new motorcycle and hurried back to catch up with the main group.

Before leaving, he told Zhao Xiaoxiu an important message.

"The results of the negotiation will be announced tomorrow. Gather at the eastern shantytown at nine in the morning. Don't be late, father and daughter!"

The sound drifted away with the wind, full of anticipation and lightness.

The agonizing wait is finally coming to an end, but no one knows what arrangements will be waiting for them.

Zhao Xiaoxiu turned around to glance at her father who was still staring at the motorcycle, and suddenly felt that as a child, there was no need to think too much.

Even if the sky falls, she still has a living father to support her, so she should just live well.

"Dad, the supply station is open, let's go buy some things." Zhao Xiaoxiu reminded.

After what happened to the Hope Base, Zhao Xiaoxiu now feels anxious when she sees that not all of her points have been exchanged for supplies.

I was afraid that if I wasn't careful, the Utopia Base would be gone and all my 3,000 points would be wasted.

No, I spent five points last night.

There are now 2995 points and three contribution points left.

Zhao Gang nodded, and the father and daughter put on their empty backpacks, locked the door of the cowshed, rode their bicycles, and arrived at the high wall of the base in ten minutes.

(End of this chapter)