Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

The words "usable" were too eye-catching, hitting Li Zhao's sore spot as a primary school student with perfect accuracy.

Li Zhao clenched his fist tightly in his heart.

He probably even let out a "whoosh".

He knew there was no need to doubt the system's ability to fix logical bugs.

Since we can have a "usable bank card", doesn't that mean we can also easily set up a "usable stock account"?

But Li Zhao could only suppress his curiosity about what exactly was going on with this bank card.

It's best to study system-related matters at home.

"Li Zhao?" He Shuyao waved to him, pulling Li Zhao back from his reverie.

"Ah, the tofu is so delicious, I'm mesmerized."

"Pfft." He Shuyao laughed. "Then I'll give you another piece."

Just then, Chen Nian turned around with the fried tofu in his hand, and what came into view was He Shuyao carefully cutting a piece of tofu, wanting to feed it to Li Zhao, but Li Zhao kept waving his hand to refuse.

They were both clearly smiling.

A small portion of fried tofu is only six pieces!

As the saying goes, "May you have abundance every year," but old things are a bit redundant, aren't they?

The three of them found a table outside the shop and slowly ate fried tofu. Li Zhao only ate another piece that Chen Nian handed him, and after testing it, he found that his happiness level had not increased. So he used the excuse that he had eaten too much for breakfast to refuse the two of them feeding him.

During their casual conversation, they discovered that He Shuyao was also going to Xinhua Bookstore, so the trio naturally went together.

While the two were eating, Li Zhao took out the only 5 yuan note he had and bought three bottles of mineral water from the shopkeeper.

Just a little something.

Although they both knew that Li Zhao didn't have any pocket money, and that elementary school students wouldn't care about social obligations, especially something as small as a piece or two of tofu, they had only been reborn for a short time and had been in the workplace for a long time, so some behaviors had almost become instinctive...

Chen Nian was still unhappy. "Wow, you should have said you wanted something to drink earlier! I would have bought fruit juice. Why are you drinking mineral water?"

Lord Li Zhao was defeated.

Children definitely have their own way of getting along.

He Shuyao thoughtfully prepared Wrigley's gum, one stick for each person, but Chen Nian was unhappy again:

"This doesn't taste good. I prefer fruity flavors."

He Shuyao sighed, "Chewing gum is for freshening breath, but this tofu leaves your mouth smelling bad. We're going to the bookstore."

"No way, that's too dramatic, don't you think, Ah Zhao..."

Li Zhao chewed very carefully.

"囧".

Chen Nian actually pronounced the word correctly, delivering a powerful blow to Li Zhao.

They walked noisily into the bookstore, and Chen Nian immediately quieted down.

The three of them tacitly crossed the teaching aids area, and then suddenly split into three groups in the small square.

"Huh?" Chen Nian, who was about to head towards the comic book section, froze, covering his mouth as he asked, "Where are you all going?"

He Shuyao pointed to the "Literature Zone" sign and looked at Li Zhao with the same curious eyes she had in the past.

"I'm going to browse the bookshelves at the back to find some books. We'll meet at the small square later."

He Shuyao nodded and walked towards the literature section, while Chen Nian squinted and observed the location Li Zhao mentioned for a long time.

There wasn't a single person in that place.

The sign hanging there reads "Theory/Review".

It looks incredibly boring.

In his previous life, Li Zhao often went to the literature section. Compared to the bustling comics section, although there were fewer people in the literature section, a high percentage of them were engrossed in reading and rarely moved around, sitting haphazardly on the ground.

One could spend the whole day flipping through them.

After starting university, going to the library changed its meaning.

Whether it's for research or to use as a study room, it's common for people to spend a whole day reading in the library, or even keep the books they buy unopened for three to five years.

Going to the library later felt more like a way of reminiscing about concentration.

As for this corner filled with theoretical review books, it's always a deserted place, whether in a bookstore or a library.

Occasionally, you'll see someone there, but they're either lost or looking for a book with a specific goal in mind, and they won't stay for more than five minutes.

For the first time in his two lives, Li Zhao felt that this place could hold him for half a day.

"Urban Geography," a classic old textbook, is placed here to set the tone.

Li Zhao had read "A New Theory on the Path of Urbanization" in his previous life, but he didn't remember it well. It was a critique of the small town strategy and proposed the idea of ​​coordinated development of urban agglomerations and metropolitan areas. It was a collective work from the Geography Department of Lin University. One of the editors, Professor Xu, had met Li Zhao when he was in college, and he was already quite old at that time.

"Research on Small Town Development Strategies" was a bit old for Li Zhao in his previous life, but it's a very new book now, published in 07. Li Zhao quickly flipped through it, summarizing the policies, examples, and controversies of the past ten years or so, which can be considered a complete record of the mainstream ideas related to urban development. The editor, Professor Yuan, was a good friend of Li Zhao's mentor in his previous life, and Li Zhao had even held several meetings with him when he was leading a rural planning project in Jiangnan Province.

Looking through the rows of books, those that occupy a place in the review section of Xinhua Bookstore are basically classic works in the field.

Among the new books related to urban planning, there was a section with some names that Li Zhao recognized.

"Chengguo", written by Wang Zhi.

Li Zhao stopped.

This was his undergraduate mentor in his previous life, the vice dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at Haimen University. He later rose through the ranks and was recognized as an academician when Li Zhao returned to Linjiang to join Leo Planning and Design Company.

In his previous life, Li Zhao and Professor Wang did not have a very good relationship. Li Zhao was focused on making big money through projects and refused to listen to Professor Wang's advice to "focus on theoretical research."

He flipped through the book and discovered it was published in 1999, when Professor Wang was not yet forty years old.

The content criticizes the wholesale Westernization of cities and the large-scale demolition and construction of historical districts after the 90s.

Li Zhao smiled knowingly and silently took the book in his hands.

When he walked back to the small square carrying five books in his arms, Chen Nian immediately became anxious and began to complain in a low voice as soon as they met:

"What's going on with you two? One of you is holding a collection of Lu Xun's works, and the other is holding... what's that?"

"City Walls," "Intrusion and Succession: New Theories on Urban Social Structural Change," "Urban Development History: Origins, Evolution, and Prospects," "Development Planning and Theoretical Research of Linjiang Core Area," "Remaking..."

The title of the last book made Chen Nian dizzy.

He hid the seven copies of "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: The Seven Swordsmen" behind his back.

A strange sense of shame made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit are also classics," Li Zhao said.

Chen Nian's eyes lit up again. He hugged the comic book to his chest again and gently nudged Li Zhao. "Your book is more pretentious. I'll pay for it."

"These five books total 136 yuan, and the seven comic books are 70 yuan each. That's 206 yuan in total."

Chen Nian was stunned; he never expected to buy something for over two hundred.

Li Zhao immediately pulled out three books from the pile, keeping only the two most valuable ones, saying, "I don't need these three."

Chen Nian simultaneously handed two 100-yuan bills to the cashier.

"Do you want these three books?" He Shuyao, standing behind Li Zhao, asked softly.

"No rush, I'll come back to buy it next time."

"I send you."

He Shuyao took back the three books that Li Zhao had taken out, put them together with her two collections of Lu Xun's works, and handed a card to the cashier.

"I have a bookstore card here, and I have some money left, so it should be enough."

Chen Nian was dumbfounded.

"How could I possibly accept this..." Li Zhao instinctively refused.

"Didn't Chen Nian buy it for you? If he can get it, why can't I?"

Chen Nian's mouth almost dropped to the ground.

"Chen Nian is your good friend, and so am I."

"..." Li Zhao smiled helplessly and could only accept the kindness.

"My parents booked a table across the street today. It's almost noon. Do you want to eat together?" He Shuyao said, pointing to a Western restaurant as she walked out of the bookstore.

Li Zhao was truly stunned.

He Shuyao's family... were they actually quite wealthy?

"Ah Zhao's parents won't let him eat out," Chen Nian explained. "We have to go home first."

He Shuyao readily agreed, "Okay, then I'll let you know in advance next time. Goodbye!"

After watching Li Zhao and Chen Nian walk towards the bus stop, He Shuyao went to the Western restaurant. Her parents were already ordering food. "Honey, didn't you say you were just buying a few books? Why did it take so long? It's your birthday."

"I was completely engrossed in it, thank you, Mom and Dad!"

"We've ordered some dishes, see if you want anything else."

Just as He Shuyao took the menu, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.

"Teacher Huang?"

Huang Keyun was sitting by the window, holding Li Zhao's test paper, and said to her friend, who was also a primary school teacher:

"I'm serious, I think I've met a benefactor!"