Chapter 15: Endorsement 2/2

If it were easy to become a scholar, the original owner wouldn’t have given up completely.

But Li Qingzhi still wanted to give it a try.

He had managed to survive until the end of the apocalypse, hadn’t he? What was there to be afraid of in studying? Besides, he had the “Golden Finger”.

After the apocalypse began, various strange and unique abilities emerged.

At first, he thought his “Golden Finger” could only remove harmful substances from his body and purify internal pollution.

But later, he found that his “Golden Finger” could do more than that.

It could control his body!

He could use his “Golden Finger” to make his body strong, stimulate his brain, make his brain cells more active, and learn faster.

His “Golden Finger” couldn’t be used for combat, but it had enhanced his physical fitness, so he did have some combat capabilities later on.

Moreover, after stimulating his brain, his memory became very good, and his reactions became very quick, comparable to those who had undergone intellectual enhancements during the apocalypse.

In the first few years, he desperately wanted to end the apocalypse and even joined a specialized research institute to try to figure out how to eliminate pollution, but unfortunately, he didn’t come up with anything useful.

Speaking of which, he was able to survive until the end in his previous life because he had always used his “Golden Finger” to adjust his body, allowing him to consume less energy.

In this life, with a different body, his memory was not as good as before. He inherited the memories of the original owner…

Five whole years without touching a book, and the original owner had forgotten how to recite even the “Three Character Classic”.

But as long as he keeps it for a while, he can develop his brain with golden fingers.

It will be much easier for him to study when the time comes .

Li Qingzhi held the book and compared the words with the memories of the original owner, quickly arriving at the riverhead.

Li Laogen had already returned from the fields and was bathing in the river wearing shorts.

Several men from the village were washing alongside him, teasing him about being thin and small, not like a real man, and saying they could lift him with just one hand.

Li Laogen just smiled in response.

Li Qingzhi said, “Dad, are you done washing? It’s time for us to go back.”

Li Laogen immediately got up from the river and said, “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Li Damao and Li Ermao were playing happily with their friends, a little reluctant to leave, but it was getting dark… They ran to Li Qingzhi’s side and held his hand.

Li Qingzhi didn’t immediately take them back home. These two kids had been playing all day and were covered in sweat!

There were several places along the riverbank paved with stone slabs or gravel, convenient for washing things. Li Qingzhi found a spot where no one was around, let the two kids bathe, and watched over them, occasionally helping to scrub their backs.

“Dad, from now on, you should be the one to bathe us,” Li Ermao said, “Mom is too strong!”

Li Damao nodded seriously.

Li Laogen chuckled from the side, “Xiaoye’s grip is very strong. Every time she bathes these two kids, it’s like she’s slaughtering a pig. They keep yelling and screaming.”

“That’s right, that’s right!” Li Ermao listened proudly, “We are little pigs!”

Li Damao said, “You are, not me. I don’t want to be a pig.”

“Why not? Pork is delicious!” Li Ermao didn’t understand.

Li Qingzhi couldn’t help but laugh at his antics. “Ermao is the little pig. Come on, let me take a bite.”

Li Qingzhi pretended to bite him, which frightened Li Ermao, who quickly hid behind Li Damao. “Dad, don’t eat me.” His dad ate everything, and now he wanted to eat him?

Li Qingzhi laughed heartily. “Ermao, don’t worry. Dad won’t eat you. You’re Dad’s son, more important than Dad himself. How could Dad possibly eat you? At most, I’ll just give you a kiss.”

After giving a kiss to his two children, Li Qingzhi dried his hands and then took the nearby “Three Character Classic,” leading Li Damao and Li Ermao back home.

When they arrived home, it was almost dark, and Jin Xiaoye had also returned, hanging up his wet clothes.

Most people in the village went to bed when it got dark, but some continued to chat and cool off outside until late, and some even slept outdoors, thinking it was cooler outside.

Li Qingzhi remembered reading about night blindness in ancient times.

In Daqi, there were indeed many people with night blindness, but in Chongcheng County, the number of such people was relatively small compared to the total population.

This was probably also related to the region. Chongcheng County was located in the south, where there were vegetables and radishes to eat in winter, and people could occasionally eat fish and shrimp. Although the living conditions were not as good as in modern times, compared to other places, the villagers here were relatively well off.

However, people in this era indeed didn’t like going out at night.

Firstly, there were no streetlights at this time, and if the weather was bad, it would be pitch black, making it impossible to see even if you didn’t have night blindness. Secondly… without surveillance cameras, some criminals were bold and reckless. Going to unfamiliar places at night could be dangerous.

Chongcheng County, where Li Qingzhi’s family lived, was relatively wealthy and didn’t have bandits, but the county where the original owner’s father had served as an official, Yu County, had many villages that organized patrols of young men at night.

Otherwise, if some food or poultry was stolen, it was a minor issue, but if a group of bandits came, the entire village would be in trouble.

Li Qingzhi’s family had very few belongings, not even oil, so there were no oil lamps.

Today, there was no moon… After lying down, the house was truly pitch black.

Since everyone wasn’t sleepy yet, Li Qingzhi told Li Damao and Li Ermao stories. This time, he told them a story about a righteous official who encountered trouble in a village while carrying out his duties and cleverly resolved it.

These were stories the original owner had heard while accompanying his master on official duties. He told them to tell Jin Xiaoye and even Li Damao and Li Ermao to broaden their horizons.

Jin Xiaoye said, “You know so much.”

Li Qingzhi said, “I used to know people from the county office, so I know a little more.”

The original owner hardly ever talked about his past, fearing that his identity would be discovered.

He even went to the county town cautiously every time, afraid of encountering someone who knew him.

Li Qingzhi, on the other hand, was much more open.

He was very thin now, completely different from the original owner in the past. As for the future… he planned to use his golden finger to slightly change his facial features.

With slightly fairer skin and larger eyes, he would look nothing like before.

“You even know people from the county office…” Jin Xiaoye sighed, feeling that the county office was a distant place for her.

Li Qingzhi said, “I know them. Actually, they’re just ordinary people… Xiaoye, Damao, and Ermao, let me teach you to recite the ‘Three Character Classic.'”

The original owner had forgotten the content of the later chapters, but he remembered the beginning. After reviewing it again, he could teach Jin Xiaoye and the children and explain it to them.

In modern times, four-year-old children would probably find reciting such ancient texts boring, but in ancient times, without even an oil lamp… Li Damao and Li Ermao recited with great enthusiasm.

Hearing the two children reciting, Jin Xiaoye felt especially good and said to Li Qingzhi, “Aqing, you teach the children well. When I have money, I’ll buy you books.”

Li Qingzhi: “…” Seeing Jin Xiaoye’s recent words and actions… it seemed like she wanted him to stay home and take care of the children while she went out to earn money to support the family.

He was very willing to live off her, but he had a big appetite, and Jin Xiaoye might not be able to afford it.