Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

Chen Nian didn't understand why Li Zhaoyi had such a tense expression throughout the entire class meeting.

During lunch break, Li Zhao got up and walked to He Shuyao's seat. He said something, and then the two of them left the classroom together.

Chen Nian couldn't keep his expression in check anymore.

What are you doing? You're whispering without me in the conversation?

He Shuyao and Li Zhao walked into the corridor, looking a little hurried.

"Are you worried that people will see this and start spreading rumors again?"

He Shuyao shook her head. "Can I come out at noon?"

"The school didn't say it was not allowed."

"Shall we go to the playground?"

Huh? You were just tense, how come you've suddenly become even more aggressive?

"Let's go."

Li Zhao and He Shuyao found a tree in the corner of the school playground and sat on the tree pit platform under the shade of the tree.

Summer hasn't arrived yet, but the air is humid, the temperature is pleasant, and the breeze feels wonderful on my face.

The sky was clear and bright today, and Li Zhao squinted as the sunlight shone through his eyes.

Before I could even speak, a wave of drowsiness washed over me.

"Li Zhao," He Shuyao swung her legs, "is something on your mind?"

I want to apologize to you.

"...Actually, it's not necessary."

"Then consider it an explanation," Li Zhao said. "I don't know if you can understand, but sometimes people suddenly have an epiphany."

"?"

"Exactly. Although I had read a lot of books before, I couldn't apply what I learned. I really didn't understand. But on the day I finished the Chinese exam, I had an epiphany."

"Ah..." He Shuyao's legs stopped shaking.

"I can't explain how I came to this realization; it's more like a gradual accumulation of knowledge and experience."

He Shuyao pursed her lips and started swinging her feet again. "Hmm. Although I didn't understand, I accept it."

[Actively resolve conflicts with friends, Happiness +3, Total 18]

So this can earn you happiness points twice? It makes it seem like Li Zhao really treats He Shuyao like a treasure chest monster.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" He Shuyao tilted her head and looked at Li Zhao.

"...There are a few more things I'd like to chat about."

"Let's just chat casually then."

What do you think happiness is?

As soon as he asked the question, Li Zhao regretted it.

This is a very big question, and there are too many answers to it. Even Li Zhao himself could now put together a whole paragraph or even an article to answer it.

Nothing more than things that make me happy.

"Happiness? That's such a big word." He Shuyao shook her head.

really.

"We're still kids, we're happy no matter what we do."

Li Zhao smiled bitterly to himself. Yes, children are carefree and don't need to think about the future. The world is still colorful, and everything is new and exciting to them.

But Li Zhao is not a child.

"Adults are different," He Shuyao continued. "My parents think about a lot of things every day, and the wrinkles on their faces are from all the worry."

Why?

"Because they're doing things they don't like." He Shuyao lowered her head. "Before, both my parents had to work. They were exhausted when they got home and didn't seem happy at all. But they always said, 'There's nothing they can do.' Later, my dad told my mom not to work anymore, that he could support the family on his own. I thought my mom would be happy doing what she liked, but she doesn't know what to do at home and keeps saying she'd rather go to work."

"……so."

"I keep telling myself that I don't want to become that kind of adult. My parents both want me to be successful in my career, but they feel miserable when they actually start working. I often hear my dad say that if he could go back in time, he wouldn't choose to be a civil servant. But when I ask him what he would do, he can't answer."

Li Zhao gave a wry smile. "That's just how people are."

"No." He Shuyao turned to look at Li Zhao, her eyes firm. "That's wrong."

"...Adults have their own helplessness."

"However, Dad thinks his happiness is success in his career. He says he has worked hard all his life and has always been a successful bureau chief in other people's eyes, so he should be happy. But he keeps saying he doesn't want to be a civil servant, which shows that he doesn't know what happiness is. He is just experiencing what everyone thinks is happiness."

Director?

No, that's not important. He Shuyao's words shocked Li Zhao.

"However, Shuyao, making money is essential. People are never satisfied. When they haven't made money, they feel that making money is happiness. But when they have money, they take it for granted and feel that everything they've done for money is not worth it..."

"I didn't say that making money doesn't bring happiness." He Shuyao leaned closer to Li Zhao, her expression particularly serious.

"...You, you say it."

"But! People who believe that making money is happiness should keep striving to make money, even if they become misers, they are still happy. We always say that we want to be successful and accomplished in the future. If we believe that's happiness, then success should bring happiness, not other things. If we think other things are more important, it means that this 'success' is not the happiness we want at all!"

A wake-up call.

Li Zhao was a little dazed, his heart seemed to jolt suddenly from the silence of the surroundings.

But he still instinctively responded, "Perhaps... success and wealth are the foundation for adults' pursuit of happiness?"

He Shuyao suddenly jumped down from the tree pit, took two steps forward, put her hands on her hips, and stared straight at Li Zhao.

Li Zhao felt a little embarrassed.

"Ah Zhao, that's strange. How can you not understand such a simple principle?"

A 36-year-old adult was being lectured by a teenager.

"You, you said..."

"Success and making money are the foundation for pursuing happiness, but it is completely different from taking these two things as the goal of happiness."

Li Zhao was stunned.

"If you treat it as a goal, then just keep making money, and nothing else matters. If it's just a foundation, then the focus shouldn't be solely on making money. Like my mother, if what she truly wants for happiness is to be a writer, rather than just being busy with work every day, then she should write in her spare time. Work gives her the confidence to write, which is happiness; writing itself is about pursuing a dream, which should also be happiness. But she just throws herself into her work and doesn't write."

In Li Zhao's memory, He Shuyao was a quiet girl. So... her output ability is this explosive?

Moreover, as expected of someone who has always excelled in Chinese language, this level of logic and expression is something many junior high or even high school students cannot achieve.

Even some of the top-tier university students that Li Zhao interviewed in his previous life spoke haltingly.

"So," He Shuyao put her hands on her hips, "my parents don't even know what kind of happiness they want. My dad's talk of a successful career and my mom's talk of wanting to be a writer are just excuses they use. They need to do things that others approve of and treat those things as their own happiness."

Li Zhao nodded repeatedly, looking like a student.

"Happiness isn't that narrow. Happiness can take many forms, and it's not like it can only be one goal. I want to get into a good school, I want my parents to praise me, I want to play with the people I like... I also want to do more things I've never done before, I want to be a great writer... As long as I'm doing what I want to do, then I should be happy."

"Do what you want to do" is not a particularly special answer.

Li Zhao had read countless inspirational articles in his previous life, and this sentence had been said to death long ago.

But after He Shuyao's explanation, this sentence has been given a whole new lease on life.

"That's very well said, Shuyao. Do you usually think a lot about the word 'happiness'?"

He Shuyao was taken aback when she heard this, and then sat back down in the tree pit and started swinging her feet.

After saying that, Li Zhao regretted it. He still couldn't help but feel like an adult being aloof. He Shuyao sincerely shared a set of views that gave him a lot of inspiration. He should have opened his heart and talked to her in depth, but he interrupted the conversation with a condescending comment.

That's not right.

[Reflecting on one's own problems increases happiness by 1, bringing the total to 19]

Negative emotions...can also be happiness?

"Actually..." He Shuyao resumed her soft-spoken manner, "I wrote an article called 'The Methodology of Happiness,' but I felt it was still far from perfect, so I just directly used some of the ideas from it."

"Methodology, huh? That's advanced."

Li Zhao wanted to pinch his own mouth.

Unexpectedly, He Shuyao's eyes suddenly lit up, and she leaned closer to Li Zhao, exclaiming, "Really?!"

They're still just kids.

"Well, of course. Methodology is a very advanced way of thinking, and I'm learning it too. Could I take a look at some of the articles if you'd like?"

"That won't work."

Why?

"That's unfair."

Ok?

He Shuyao suddenly pouted and turned her head to the side, "The conversation just now wasn't fair either."

"What's wrong?"

"I've told you a lot, and now I have some questions for you too. You need to answer them carefully."

Li Zhao suddenly became a little nervous.

It can't be "someone you like," right? You're only in elementary school, what do you know?

Why would you ask me what happiness is?