"There is also the composition "About Conscience". I can finish it by plagiarizing previous writers. I don't plan to write it tonight." Zhou Zhi said.

"Which predecessor?"

"Wang Yangming and Wang Shouren, the great Confucians of the Ming Dynasty, founded a school of mind, the main purpose of which is 'to develop a conscience'."

"I've never heard of this guy."

Indeed, it will take more than ten years for this name to become a household name.

"So you have to work harder when writing." Zhou Zhi said, "How much have you done?"

"I've finished geography and history, and I still have some English and Chinese essays to write. Please help me with a few questions..."

"Okay, let's take a look..."

The fourth child couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore and ran away to make his bamboo water gun.

The maid held the needle and thread with a smile, and felt very satisfied as she watched Zhou Zhi and Jiang Shuyi continue to study the topic.

This child Zhou Zhi has really grown up...

After a few difficult problems were solved, Jiang Shuyi straightened her arms and twisted her waist: "You still need someone to do your homework together, so you can do it more and faster."

"Zhou Zhi, I have to go back."

"Then I'll see you off." Zhou Zhi stood up: "You're not going to carry your schoolbag, are you? I'll pick you up tomorrow. Let's continue."

"Um."

I asked the eldest lady to find a flashlight, Zhou Zhi turned it on, and the two of them walked back along the path they came from.

It is already dark, and there is no light pollution now. The night sky on the playground of the Central School is particularly beautiful.

The sparrows have also gone to bed, and instead of their noise, there are a few spring insects in the small garden that have started chirping early.

"Shu Yi, let's go to the playground basketball stand and stay for a while."

"..." Jiang Shuyi said nothing, only nodded slightly.

Arriving under the basketball hoop, Zhou Zhi turned off the flashlight.

"Zhou Zhi... what are you... doing?" Jiang Shuyi's voice trembled with nervousness.

"Shuyi, look up."

"Ah... there are so many stars in the sky."

"Well, the more you look at it, the more you will get."

"I haven't looked at the night sky in a long time. Since...around fifth grade."

"Shu Yi, do you still remember when we were in the fifth grade of elementary school?"

"Remember! That year, the gas production team was extracting natural gas from the mountains. Later, for some reason, they burned the natural gas."

"I heard that he is not brave enough and has no value."

"The big fire burned on the top of the mountain for a month, and there was no night in Rongshan Town for that month."

"Yes, at night the whole place is illuminated red by the huge fire."

"There were also rumbling sounds. I was so scared every night. I didn't dare to go to the mountain to see the fire for a long time after it was out."

"There used to be a lot of wild onions and folded ear roots on that mountain, but they were all burned out at that time." Zhou Zhi said, "I went there again later, and the top of the mountain was completely burnt, and it was completely black and bare..."

"By the way Zhou Zhi, I heard that many stones near the fire cave have been turned into crystals." Jiang Shuyi said with some regret in her tone: "But I didn't pick them up. They said they were all picked up by the children who went first.

Do you know about this?"

"Of course I know, because I was one of the first children to go, and those crystals... were the first ones I discovered."

"real?"

"Really, but I later found out that those were just glass." Zhou Zhi smiled and said: "When we went up, the smell on the mountain was quite unpleasant, and the fire in the core of the tree trunks that had been burned into charcoal was not yet extinguished."

"I'll give you a piece of glass I picked up there for school on Monday, but actually...it's really ugly."

"I want to thank you for your thoughtfulness."

"You're welcome, eh? How about we go dig wild vegetables in the mountains tomorrow!" Zhou Zhi suddenly thought of playing like this: "Shu Yi, have you ever dug wild vegetables?"

"No, I don't know wild onions and wild vegetables either."

"I know it, and I'll show you to it. It's the time when the cabbage and intestines are just coming out. Let's go pick them tomorrow and come back to make cakes!"

"What about homework?"

"Isn't there only composition and mathematics left? Do it in the afternoon!"

"This... is good!"

"Let's go home and take you to bed! I'll take you to play tomorrow!"

Zhou Zhi's move to send Jiang Shuyi back made Jiang's mother and father breathe a sigh of relief. They were worried that Zhou Zhi would be ignorant and let Jiang Shuyi come back alone.

"Uncle and aunt, the only thing missing from our homework is the composition. We are going to do it tomorrow afternoon. In the morning, I will take Jiang Shuyi to the mountains to dig wild vegetables. I will be writing the composition when I get back."

Neither Jiang Qiao nor Du Yufen noticed Zhou Zhi's ambush, thinking that the essay assigned by the school was a self-selected topic, and digging wild vegetables in the morning was just the subject of the afternoon essay.

Gu Yan

Jiang Ma smiled and said: "That's good, but Shu Yi doesn't know any wild vegetables or anything like that. You boys, don't run too fast. Zhou Zhi, help me take care of Shu Yi."

"Well, let's call her again tomorrow. See you uncle and aunt."

"goodbye."

…

…

When I returned to my aunt's house that night, Zhou Zhi told the fourth child my idea, and the fourth child responded immediately.

As long as it was for fun, Su Datou would never fail to respond.

Zhou Zhi soaked a portion of rice, then ran under the bed and pulled out a large box, and started looking for equipment.

Inside the box were some tools commonly used by my cousin’s electrician class. In addition, there were small hoes and small rakes used by my eldest sister to take care of the small garden downstairs, and a pile of used pens.

Seeing the pile of scrap pens, Zhou Zhi suddenly recalled something. He rummaged through all the pens and piled them on the wooden floor, opening them one by one and reading them.

"These are useless pens." Lao Si said, "It's useless."

"Why is it useless? If there are two similar pens, one has a broken nib and one has a bad pen, then if you take out the good nib and replace it with another one, won't it still work?"

"That's another two yuan pocket money, right?" The fourth child suddenly became excited: "Look for it!"

In fact, Zhou Zhi's purpose was not this. It didn't take long for Zhou Zhi to find the pen he wanted. The tip was yellow and there were a few small words "90% gold" on it.

Zhou Zhi wiped the pen clean, replaced the cap of the pen, and walked outside: "Ma'am, I heard that my uncle didn't leave anything at home, only a small iron fish and a pen, right?"

The small iron fish is made of a small circle of iron sheets, plated with nickel, and then connected with small iron needles as thick as a tack. It is a small ornament that can be hung on a keychain.

Nowadays, you can buy something for fifty cents at a sewing stall.

"Yes, the little iron fish is still there, but the pen is missing." The eldest lady was a little regretful: "That was a gold pen, and it has been missing for many years."

After speaking, he raised his wrist, revealing an old watch: "Actually, there is this one."

It was a watch whose dial had turned yellow and the strap had been replaced countless times.

In her previous life, Zhou Zhi also found this pen in this toolbox, but she never paid attention to the brand of the old watch in her hand.

"This is... plum blossom?" Zhou Zhi was a little surprised: "It's a very good watch."

To be able to possess these two things in the past five years or so, my uncle's position at that time must have been quite high.

"Is it a good watch?" The eldest lady was not sure: "I asked many people, but they all said they didn't recognize this brand."

In the past, people in Rongshan Town would be pretty good if they knew Shanghai and Seagull. But now they may know Tianwang and Citizen, and I’m afraid there are only a few people who know Plum Blossom.

"It's a really good watch." Zhou Zhi spread out his hand and said, "Ma'am, look at this, is it my uncle's pen?"

The eldest lady raised her eyes and looked excited: "Show me quickly, it looks a bit like it!"

Opening the pen cap: "Where did you find it? This is it! This is it!"

"We dug it out from a pile of broken pen nibs in my cousin's tool box. Fortunately, there is such a box, so we haven't thrown away the broken pens after so many years of use!"

"Finally I found it... I didn't lose it. Your uncle Zhou Zhi didn't lose his pen!" The eldest lady took Zhou Zhi's hand: "I haven't seen it for so many years, I thought I would never see it again..."

"Ma'am, don't be excited. Now that we have put together the three-piece heirloom set again, you should be happy..."

"Ma'am, I'm just happy." Wiping her eyes, she said, "What do you think happened to your eldest cousin? Can you just let go of this money?"

"He was still very young at that time, right? He was probably not much older than I am now. Oh, he wouldn't have used this for homework at that time, right?!"

"Why haven't I used it? It would have been nice to have a pen at that time." The eldest lady touched the pen distressedly, and laughed with tears in her eyes: "He insisted on using the pen, so I gave it to him, but it still didn't work.

Read it, it’s a waste!”

"The employees of Tianhua Company are well paid." Zhou Zhi smiled and said, "How can you find an employer in Manjiachuan where the total household water and electricity bills are less than two yuan a month?"

My eldest uncle died in 1957, so my eldest cousin must be thirty-four years old this year. He is now the supervisor of the electrician class at Tianhua Company and has a good income.
To be continued...