Task: Sparrow Hunt (Completed)
Action Points increased by 20
A sudden enlightenment (Enlightenment)
Action Points increased by 50
Simon raised an eyebrow. The Action Points gained from machine-slaughtering small animals were surprisingly high. He had only observed the entire process, yet it counted as completed. Could it be that he was considered an accomplice?
Perhaps.
It seemed someone once said that when a tragedy occurs, no one is truly innocent, even an observer like him.
Speaking of which, is killing small animals a tragedy? Perhaps some people wouldn't agree. The world is full of indifferent people. Simon carefully considered: if killing sparrows is an evil of magnitude one, then killing a person is an evil of magnitude one hundred. Yet, the sin of killing a hundred birds might not be as great as killing one person.
Among the same number of a hundred, what is the difference that causes such a qualitative change?
Do evil deeds truly have a critical point? A point below which evil is not evil, and above which it cannot be easily forgiven?
It is also said, 'Do not commit evil, however small.' Simon mused that killing these birds benefits the growth of rice and makes farm management easier. Their rampant breeding and excessive numbers led to disaster. Human intervention replaces natural limits—is this not replacing the will of heaven with the will of man?
Since such a killing is the will of heaven, then it isn't considered evil, right?
Lu Xuefeng secretly watched his great-grandson. The little child's eyes were unfocused, but he clearly showed no fear. He seemed to be contemplating some philosophy of life. My goodness, children nowadays are different from a young age. How can an old man like me keep up with the times?
When Simon was alive in his previous life, the most fashionable people were those born after 2000, but now they too have become old and outdated. No one can always keep up with the times, because it requires too much time and energy, accepting a large amount of information every day. Usually, only students have this mindset and interest.
Some helplessness is not even noticing the gap oneself; no matter how hard one tries, one can only live in the past.
The old man collected the bird corpses, filling two sacks, and placed them along with the nail gun machine in the trailer, preparing to take them back for incineration. The usual way to deal with bird plagues is to spray pesticides with drones, either to drive them away or to exterminate them, but that would also reduce yield. Lu Jiande chose a physical method.
"Are you tired?"
Simon shook his head. It was 9:03 AM, and the new day had just begun. If he were already tired now, wouldn't that be a bit empty?
"Want to see a train?"
"Okay."
There are many train stations in agricultural areas; one could say there are more trains than people.
Because a lot of grain needs to be transported out, all four seasons, without end, only with differences between peak and off-peak seasons.
The pickup drove for half an hour and then stopped by the roadside. Fifty paces to the side was a railway track, and a green train was already chugging from the west. Because it was cloudy, the train looked black in the distance, wrapped in a thin mist. Only when it got closer could its true color be seen.
Lu Xuefeng unconsciously smiled. Simon was startled. On average, Great-Grandfather smiled once every two days, and You Tou Guai said that before Simon arrived, Great-Grandfather might not have a good expression all year round.
However, Great-Grandfather lived a reclusive life, so perhaps he was also a cheerful person, but very few others saw it. Just like now, Lu Xuefeng could smile so naturally at the train.
"Great-Grandfather, are you very happy?"
Lu Xuefeng squinted, leaning on the car's hood. He picked up Simon and placed him beside him, gently stroking his head. "Your hair has grown long. Shall I shave it for you tonight?"
Indeed, in a few days it would be the first month of the lunar calendar, and shaving one's head in the first month means the death of an uncle...
No!
"Great-Grandfather, are you happy because you saw the train?" Please don't change the subject.
"Mm."
Lu Xuefeng's response was flat.
...
No one is talking to me intimately. Simon lowered his head slightly, fiddling with his phone.
He sent an email to his parents, saying that Great-Grandfather wanted them to come here for the New Year. They replied after a while, agreeing.
He then scrolled through his friends' emails. Zhang Yingxuan sent him photos of Norway's natural scenery—cold-toned mountains, seas, and mist, giving the illusion of being in an exotic wonderland. In this era of global urbanization, Norway still retains a considerable degree of pristine landscape, hailed as the most worthwhile country to visit. Su Xiangli sent several photos of herself with Disney dolls; honestly, they were quite silly, but little Su smiled sincerely. As for Qiu Qiongzh, she stood in front of the Sydney Opera House, wearing a yellow dress and a sun hat, with a surprisingly clear sky behind her.
"Are you tired?"
"I'm tired."
Lu Xuefeng was reluctant. "Let's go back."
The old man is always resolute, Simon once thought. There was no evidence to prove his resoluteness, just a feeling. After all, tough guys are always cool, and cool guys never look back at explosions, even if their clothes are torn to shreds, they won't cover their backside.
But now there was. The old man drove all the way back, and as the train passed by, he didn't turn his head once.
Simon thought, this is really cool. If it were him, he definitely couldn't do it. It's like seeing a stylishly dressed, exquisitely made-up, and uniquely charismatic girl approaching him—he could control his face from moving, but he absolutely couldn't control his eyes from turning.
...
When they returned home, Xiao Zheng had already prepared lunch, and what fascinated Simon was that this man, who seemed to be idle and out of touch with practical matters, possessed chef-level culinary skills.
You Tou Guai claimed to have a good tongue, saying his taste buds were more developed than ordinary people's.
"Kid, I see you have a lot of talent. Do you want to learn how to cook with me?" Xiao Zheng smiled.
Lu Xuefeng paused his chewing slightly. He just felt that this sentence sounded very familiar, making him want to chew gum.
Simon: "No."
You Tou Guai didn't tease him further and lowered his head to eat. It was just a casual remark; how could he have time to teach someone to cook? And how could people nowadays possibly need to learn to cook themselves? How many people, besides the older generation, still know the meme I just used?
The sky cleared for a while in the afternoon. Lu Xuefeng said he wanted to shave Simon's head. He placed a chair in the drying yard and brought a basin of warm water. He first washed Simon's hair, then used electric clippers to cut it.
In the city, manual haircuts are rarely seen anymore. Just as electric clippers replaced razors, intelligent machines are now replacing barbers.
Simon remembered reading an article once that described old-school barbers using various razors to cut hair, and the entire piece carried a sense of sorrow in resisting the times.
Simon smelled a faint odor on Great-Grandfather's hands. He must have gone to burn trash earlier. This smell disappeared after he washed Simon's hair.
The sun in the drying yard was warm, and the buzzing of the electric clippers was like the old central air conditioner in the house. Simon didn't dare to compare it to animals like bees, because he could barely remember what a bee sounded like anymore.
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