Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

Saturday afternoon, 1:55 PM, Xinwang Bakery.

Li Zhao was originally planning to go downstairs early, but he stopped at the door.

Give He Shuyao some time to eat her bread.

He didn't know about others, but He Shuyao, whom Li Zhao knew in his previous life, really loved to eat.

She can eat a lot but never gains weight, and in fact, she has a great figure. I don't know what her genes are.

As Li Zhao walked across the store, he immediately spotted He Shuyao waiting under a large parasol.

Her signature long ponytail was down, and she was wearing a cute short-sleeved shirt and capri pants.

Li Zhao finally understood that when it comes to fashion sense, as long as it's not extremely bad, it's purely a matter of personal taste.

He Shuyao's outfit was normal in 08, but Li Zhao looks at it from the perspective of aesthetic standards twenty years later, and it's not quite right.

Even in sixth grade.

However, the "travel shoes" that are popular now will become ugly in ten years, overwhelmed by the minimalist running shoes with a high-tech feel, but will become a new retro trend in five years.

Retro style, new trend – listen to these five words.

So it's just a matter of whether everyone's tired of seeing it; as long as it's within the acceptable range, there's no objective standard.

He Shuyao looks retro in this outfit, but Ma Yingying looks tacky in it.

There's no other reason than that her looks and demeanor are worlds apart.

Girls tend to mature earlier. He Shuyao, who developed earlier, is already 1.6 meters tall and looks about the same as Li Zhao remembered her from junior high school.

"Didn't you say you're used to arriving early?" He Shuyao said. "I even came early."

"If we're going to move it up, why don't we just schedule another time?" Li Zhao said with a smile.

"Here you go." He Shuyao handed over the small bag in her hand, "The best pork floss bread in Qingqiao District."

Aren't you going to eat?

"Let's eat after a tiring afternoon of shopping."

"Go sightseeing?" Li Zhao asked curiously. "Is the place we're going to very big?"

"Quite big."

Strangely enough, Li Zhao thought it was a bookstore near the entrance of a junior high school.

The two boarded the bus and sat together, with He Shuyao by the window.

"This afternoon, are you just looking to buy books?"

That's a very direct question, young lady.

"It's rare for us to come out, so we can go back before dinner."

"That's good."

After she finished speaking, she looked out the window at the scenery.

Li Zhao didn't ask any more questions and began to close his eyes to rest.

This damn bus is shaking and smelly, and there's this guy next to me covered in sweat.

He Shuyao didn't even frown, letting her hair dance in the wind outside the window.

That's quite tolerant.

It seems like something's on your mind.

Such a sentimental girl.

In a daze, Li Zhao felt the bus pass a few stops. He opened his eyes and found that the surrounding environment seemed somewhat familiar.

"Get off the bus." He Shuyao nudged Li Zhao.

So Li Zhao stood in front of the Xinhua Bookstore, completely bewildered.

There was still a queue at the fried tofu shop.

"This is the secret base you were talking about?"

"Hmm, you didn't know you could buy textbooks at Xinhua Bookstore?"

A jolt of electricity ran through Li Zhao's brain, and he seemed to understand Chen Nian's unspoken words—

"Ah Zhao, it's available at Xinhua Bookstore!"

"Let's go buy books."

Li Zhao was both amused and exasperated as he walked into the still bustling bookstore.

The second time I came, the feeling of being transported to another time and space was much weaker.

He Shuyao walked lightly ahead, leading Li Zhao into the junior high school textbook section.

The proportion of students in the junior high school textbook section has increased significantly, while the primary school textbook section is relatively deserted. Conversely, the section for various literary books is filled with primary school students accompanied by their parents.

You ask how Li Zhao knew?

School uniform.

The basic styles of elementary school uniforms in New Taipei City are all the same, so some top-tier schools will have their students wear formal attire when participating in competitions—such as Experimental Elementary School.

Apart from the four top-ranked junior high schools, all junior high schools follow the same format.

However, Li Zhao was heading to the textbook area hidden in a corner—where there wasn't a single person at the moment.

"How much are you planning to buy? I'll help you carry it," He Shuyao said.

"All the textbooks in the entire junior high school."

"?" He Shuyao asked, a question mark appearing on her face.

Li Zhao walked up to the junior high school math textbook and flipped through it briefly.

Inverse proportional function? Acute angle trigonometric functions?

Hmm... I really do need to recall that...

The geometry is relatively simple; Li Zhao has a 100% grasp of concepts like similarity and projected views.

I need to work on my problem-solving skills in geometry.

What about physics?

Electricity and magnetism... well, I really need to learn about them.

The price is basically seven or eight yuan per book. Even if you buy all the textbooks for all the exam subjects, it will only cost 175 yuan.

It's just that 24 books are a bit heavy.

He Shuyao stared blankly as Li Zhao took several books before she realized what was happening and went to help. Then she stared blankly at the stack of books in everyone's hands.

"Why...why did you buy so much? Are you starting to learn ahead of time, going to study until the third year of junior high?"

"Yes, let's see if there's anything we don't understand."

Is this even human language?

"Do you...do you study during summer vacation?"

"Yes. Let's make some preparations."

He Shuyao looked around, then suddenly put the book she was holding aside, took the book from Li Zhao's hand and stacked it on top of her. "These books are too heavy, we'll take them later. I have a question for you."

Thank goodness it was only in elementary school; if this had happened in high school, she'd definitely be confessed to.

"Speak," Li Zhao said, leaning against the bookshelf.

What is the world like through the eyes of a genius?

The girl's expression was exceptionally serious.

"Nothing's different."

Li Zhao originally wanted to deny his genius status, but based on his performance alone, this answer was clearly not convincing.

"Really?" He Shuyao looked a little disappointed. "Is the gap between geniuses and ordinary people something that can never be bridged?"

"Diligence can make up for lack of talent, not to mention that most people are not lacking in talent."

"But you work very hard. You even work harder than the average person." He Shuyao clenched her fists.

Li Zhao stared at her for a while, then smiled softly, "You still see me as a rival?"

"No, really no." He Shuyao shook her head. "I'm just worried that I won't be able to understand you at all in the future."

Li Zhao had never heard such a response before.

It was like a bullet hitting right between the eyebrows, impossible to avoid.

He was stunned, hoping to see evasion, shyness, and nervousness in He Shuyao's eyes.

But no, she just stared straight at Li Zhao, as if she had just said something perfectly reasonable.

She values ​​you. Happiness +3, Total 40.

"But you're so fast. Many times, I don't even have time to react before you're done."

Wait a minute, wait a minute, isn't this sentence a bit off...?

Li Zhao, what are you doing? Be serious and put away your damn adult filthy thoughts!

"I think things can't be rushed; they need time to develop. If the gap between us widens in the future, I might not even be able to keep up with what you're saying. How will I understand you then?"

Li Zhao didn't ask questions like "Why do you need to understand me?" Instead, he said:

"The speed of thinking is not the only indicator of a person's learning ability or even IQ. In elementary school, and even in junior high school, the amount of knowledge that needs to be learned is not very large. Many times, some students who seem to solve problems quickly and know a lot are just piling on advanced learning, which is meaningless. Everyone will learn that knowledge sooner or later; the elementary school stage is for building a foundation."

He Shuyao nodded, though she really wanted to say, "Aren't you a primary school student too?" but she held back.

The person opposite him is Li Zhao; he's different.

"So, what is the foundation?"

"Self-learning ability and good thinking habits. It's better to be slow and valuable than fast and fake. Shuyao, I've said it more than once or twice, your way of thinking is particularly good. You can calm down and think things through carefully. You can summarize methodologies at only sixth grade. In terms of learning ability, you can be called a genius."

A light flashed in the girl's eyes.

Li Zhao then discussed the relationship between exam preparation and learning in depth, concluding that "one should not fight against exam preparation because of learning, nor should one give up learning because of exam preparation." He Shuyao kept interrupting with questions, and only then could she barely keep up with Li Zhao's point of view.

"Therefore, I have always believed that relying on advanced learning to build test-taking skills in elementary, middle, and even high school, and then getting high scores or finishing test papers quickly, is just a false genius and cannot really achieve anything in terms of depth of learning."

As Li Zhao spoke, he took away the junior high school textbooks he had prepared to buy.

He Shuyao really wanted to ask, "So, does this make you a fake genius who learns ahead of time?" but she held back.

Because he is different.

Then, Li Zhao walked to the shelf of youth literature and stopped.

Be caught off guard.

He Shuyao thought he had remembered something else, but she found that Li Zhao had put down his textbook and picked up a youth literature book to read.

...He is really different.