Chapter 71: Tell Me, Why Do You Want to Study?

Tucked away at the very bottom were, surprisingly, three volumes of the 《Kangxi Dictionary》, and they were from the oldest edition.

After all, in 2019, a complete six-volume set of this ancient edition of the Kangxi Dictionary had fetched an astronomical price of eight hundred thousand yuan at an auction!

Men had an innate interest in antiques, power, money, and women.

He was no exception.

So he had paid special attention to it back then.

He never expected that after being reborn, he would actually see them here!

His heart surged. Looking closer, he realized there were quite a few valuable books here.

They were mostly limited-edition old books. Considering they had survived the campaign to Destroy the Four Olds and remained completely intact, one could only imagine how much effort Wei Qingzhi had poured into preserving them.

“What brings you here?”

Wei Qingzhi’s voice sounded from behind him.

Xie Zhao turned around and saw him.

He was holding a broken clay pot with some river snails inside, and his rolled-up trouser legs were caked in mud.

Perhaps because his body had not yet fully recovered, fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and he was panting slightly.

“Teacher Wei.”

Xie Zhao quickly offered a smile. “I have something to discuss with you.”

Wei Qingzhi was taken aback.

He hurriedly set the clay pot on the ground, stepped back, and stepped aside to gesture for Xie Zhao to enter.

“Come inside and talk.”

He led Xie Zhao into his home. Showing not the slightest hint of shame over his impoverished surroundings, he openly pulled out a wobbly wooden stool, stuffed a few wooden boards under the short leg to stabilize it, and gestured for Xie Zhao to sit.

“Have a seat. I’ll boil some water. I don’t have any tea leaves, though. Is plain boiled water alright?”

Xie Zhao quickly stopped him.

“Teacher Wei, please don’t trouble yourself! I’m not thirsty!”

Wei Qingzhi paused, looking at Xie Zhao tentatively. “I’m truly ashamed. I don’t have any money on me right now, but tomorrow…”

“I didn’t come to ask you for money either!”

Xie Zhao waved his hand.

He got straight to the point, uncovering the basket he was carrying and placing it in front of Wei Qingzhi.

“What is this?”

Wei Qingzhi was startled.

He saw what was inside the basket.

There was meat, eggs, oil, and rice?

His heart leaped into his throat. Frowning, he stared at Xie Zhao. “Comrade, we cannot make political mistakes! I cannot accept gifts for doing nothing. I cannot take your things!”

He had his own principles and convictions.

Otherwise, he would not still be living in this cowshed.

“Teacher Wei! You’ve misunderstood! I came here today because I want to ask you to come out of retirement and be my teacher!”

Xie Zhao said with a smile.

Be a teacher?

Wei Qingzhi stared blankly, wondering if he had misheard.

But in the next moment, Xie Zhao repeated himself.

“I dropped out of school last year right after finishing the first semester of my first year of high school. I’m doing business at home now, but I still want to go to university, gain knowledge, and see a wider world.”

Xie Zhao’s expression was sincere. “So, I want to ask you to be my teacher. Of course, there’s also my wife and my younger sister at home. They want to learn too. If possible, could you take us all in as your students?”

Wei Qingzhi’s head buzzed.

Ask him to be a teacher?

Before his labor reform, this was his profession. He had studied tirelessly to teach at a top university, and he had even taken on a few of his favorite personal disciples.

But in the end…

He closed his eyes, unwilling to recall those memories.

Wei Qingzhi stared at Xie Zhao. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly asked, “You do business to change your life and live a better one. But what about studying?”

His gaze was calm, yet his words carried an inexplicable sharpness, as if he were putting Xie Zhao under scrutiny.

“Answer me first. Why do you want to study?”

Xie Zhao froze.

It seemed he had never thought about this question before.

Why do I want to study?

To see a wider world?

But doing business can achieve that too.

In fact, on some level, doing business was faster. Once wealth accumulated to a certain height, both domestic and international opportunities would beckon to him to the greatest extent.

So why should he go through the hardship of pursuing education?

“I teach and educate not because I have to, but because I truly love this profession,” Wei Qingzhi said.

“It is like planting a sapling and nurturing it bit by bit. I am willing to help it strive and grow upward to reach a wider world.”

“But even more, I want to see it become useful timber.”

“To become a pillar of society that stands tall between heaven and earth.”

When the nation was in peril, every ordinary citizen shared the responsibility.

From the moment Wei Qingzhi chose to become a teacher, he was willing to use his frail body to burn like a candle, lighting the path for countless students.

Yet, he had failed once on this path.

If he were to choose it again, he had to be extremely cautious.

Seeing Xie Zhao dazed, Wei Qingzhi sighed softly.

He smiled, pushed the basket back in front of Xie Zhao, and covered it with the cloth again.

“Think it through before you answer me. I cannot accept these things.”

Wei Qingzhi knew he owed Xie Zhao a favor.

However, on certain matters, he could not compromise, nor could he settle.

Xie Zhao remained silent.

He stood up, picked up his basket, and walked out of the cowshed.

On the road.

The spring wind carried a chill, still somewhat biting.

Why study?

The question surfaced in his mind over and over again, each word becoming clearer.

He had rarely, if ever, thought about this.

Some emotion seemed to be thrashing inside him, but he could find no outlet or reason for it. He walked all the way home in a daze, and was even distracted during dinner.

Late into the night, as soon as he closed his eyes, Wei Qingzhi’s words still echoed in his mind.

Lying in bed and staring at the pitch-black ceiling, Xie Zhao suddenly spoke. “Wife, why do you want to study?”

Lin Muyu was taken aback.

She rolled over, propping her head up with her hand. After a moment of thought, she said softly, “I don’t know. I just don’t want Xi Bao’er and Le Bao’er to live a hard life anymore. I don’t want them to be drowned like those other baby girls, and I don’t want them to miss out on school in the future. I want them to be safe, sound, and happy.”

Xie Zhao froze.

He suddenly understood.

In his past life, the world had not been peaceful.

War was everywhere.

Yet only the country he lived in, relying on its immense strength and conviction, kept its people safe.

Even with powerful enemies watching like predators from the outside, the people could still sing, dance, and live in peace and joy.

At the end of the day, it was simply because their motherland was strong.

Xie Zhao finally understood Wei Qingzhi’s words.

He rubbed his eyes, the churning emotions in his heart finally settling completely.

Yet within his chest, something suddenly cleared and opened up, and a tiny flame quietly kindled.

He had finally figured it out.

…

The next day.

At five in the morning, Xie Zhao woke up early.

Outside, the sky was still pitch black.

Today was the Lantern Festival. Zhao Wuyi had given him a heads-up that he was going back to Liuzhou for the holiday, so they were pausing the river snail collection for the day.

Tian Xiufen was making porridge.

Seeing Xie Zhao come out, she quickly wiped her hands and hurried over with a worried frown. “You looked like you had something on your mind last night,” she said, her voice full of concern. “You barely ate a bite. Did you wake up hungry? Today is the festival, so Mom made tea eggs. Eat a few first to tide you over!”