Originally, Jason Carter thought that a place like a school should have some bamboo or something planted, but after all, food is hard to come by these days, so having a place to grow vegetables is truly a blessing.

So, Jason Carter's previous wish was for Brian Cooper to grow up and become a teacher...

It's not that he had so much respect for teachers, but rather that he thought being a teacher was safe, you could have your own yard to grow some vegetables, and no one would steal them.

What a wonderful thing that would be.

Overall, Jason Carter's wishes are usually quite "down-to-earth."

Brian Cooper went in to attend class with his tuition, while Jason Carter squatted on the wall, listening to the sounds of reading from inside. He couldn't afford the tuition, so he could only eavesdrop like this.

Sometimes the teacher would tell the students how glorious human civilization once was. To be honest, the teacher himself had never seen that era; what he talked about now was just things passed down by word of mouth, and as they were passed along, they might have gotten distorted.

Although it wasn't very reliable, Jason Carter was completely fascinated.

Sometimes Jason Carter would take the knowledge and questions he didn't understand or didn't hear clearly and ask Brian Cooper about them. This made Brian Cooper quite troubled, because if he couldn't answer, it meant he hadn't listened carefully in class. So whenever Jason Carter was eavesdropping, Brian Cooper would pay extra attention in class...

For some reason, Brian Cooper had to admit that his older brother looked pretty cool when he was studying seriously. No wonder Sister Xiaoyu was so into him.

In the classroom, the teacher held a book in his hand, looking a bit troubled at some students who had fallen asleep, then glanced out the window at Jason Carter on the wall, and said to Brian Cooper, "Go tell your brother that from now on, he can come into the yard to listen."

"Alright!" Brian Cooper beamed with joy.

Chapter 6: The Wall and Science

There was only one teacher in the school, named David Bolton, and all the classes were taught by him alone.

Everyone else thought the teacher was amazing, knowing everything. But Jason Carter always had doubts. They say every field has its own expert, and one person's energy is limited, so Mr. Bolton couldn't possibly know it all, right?

Jason Carter had always been a bit different from others. When he looked at things, he liked to reflect on them. Later, after listening to Mr. Bolton's lectures, he learned that this was called looking at problems dialectically.

Sometimes Brian Cooper was very puzzled, because Jason Carter often argued with David Bolton's viewpoints, yet still came to listen to Mr. Bolton's classes whenever he had the chance...

In the afternoon, when it was time for class, Jason Carter specially took Brian Cooper to celebrate—not for any other reason, just because from now on he could listen to the lessons in the yard.

Usually, squatting on the wall was too far from the classroom, and it was hard to hear clearly. Originally, David Bolton liked to keep the doors and windows tightly shut during class, afraid that noises from outside would distract the students.

But later, after he discovered Jason Carter was eavesdropping, he would leave one window open.

Now, he simply invited Jason Carter into the yard.

Many parents, living in these troubled times, didn't send their children to school to gain knowledge, but rather to make it easier for them to get married in the future—especially for girls, who, if they had been to school, could usually marry into a good family.

In these times, being able to read, write, and do three-digit arithmetic was already quite impressive.

Everyone was busy just trying to survive; when you could barely get enough to eat, who cared whether you were educated or not?

So most parents didn't have any long-term plans when sending their children to school. In this small market town, there were both rich and poor, and wherever there are people, there will be comparisons.

Brian Cooper watched as Jason Carter went to the grocery store and bought a filtered cigarette. Old Martinez even proudly claimed that his cigarettes definitely didn't have any weird additives and were very safe.

One cost 20—rare things are precious.

Brian Cooper asked in confusion, "Bro, why are you buying cigarettes?"

"Your teacher let me come into the yard to listen to class. Even if I don't pay tuition, I should at least show some appreciation," Jason Carter said with a smile. "I know this Mr. Bolton likes to smoke."

In Jason Carter's view, when others show you kindness, you should return it.

The two of them went to the back yard of the school while everyone else was having lunch. Mr. Bolton was eating stir-fried cabbage, and Jason Carter cheerfully handed him the cigarette.

David Bolton didn't refuse, but told Brian Cooper to stand farther away: "You're still growing, it's not good for you to smell the smoke."

Jason Carter thanked him, "Thank you, sir, for letting me listen in the yard."

"Ah," David Bolton lit the cigarette with a match from his own kitchen, then happily exhaled a puff of smoke. "There aren't many students like you who love to listen to class these days. Listen if you want, but from now on you can stand at the door—just don't come into the classroom."

"Alright," Jason Carter replied. "Sir, I have a question."

"Go ahead," David Bolton was in a rare good mood, having a cigarette, so he didn't mind whatever Jason Carter wanted to ask.

"Sir, you said that before the Cataclysm, humans had a lot of technology. Since humanity wasn't wiped out, why haven't we seen that technology reappear?"

David Bolton glanced at Jason Carter. "After the Cataclysm, no one really kept track of how many years people just scraped by. Surviving each day was already good enough—who had time to do research?"

"But we should have kept some records, right? If we studied them, couldn't we quickly restore civilization?" Jason Carter asked curiously.