Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

The aroma of venison filled the room as Li Xiangyang's family sat around the kang table, enjoying their meal.

"It smells so good!" Li Xiaohua said, her mouth greasy with food.

Li Xiangyang smiled and patted his younger sister's head: "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Although Wang Ying was quiet, the aroma also tempted her, and she ate it in small bites with a happy expression on her face.

The black leopard cat was perched on the windowsill, intently munching on a roe deer heart.

Occasionally, she would raise her head, her amber eyes scanning the cozy scene inside the room.

"The black cat is eating so heartily." Mother Li looked at the black leopard cat and nodded in satisfaction.

After dinner, the wind and snow outside intensified.

The howling north wind rattled against the windows, making a creaking sound.

"With this weather, there's no way we can go up the mountain tomorrow," Li Xiangyang said, looking out the window.

He lay on the warm kang (a heated brick bed), idly flipping through an old book.

This is the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" left by his father. He used to think the book was boring, but there weren't many forms of entertainment in those days.

At the other end of the kang (a heated brick bed), Wang Ying was teaching Li Xiaohua to read.

The two little girls touched heads together, one teaching and the other learning, occasionally letting out silvery laughter.

"The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold..." Wang Ying's voice was clear and melodious.

Li Xiangyang put down his book and couldn't help but prick up his ears to listen.

Wang Ying not only recited the poem but also explained it to Li Xiaohua: "From a scientific perspective, this poem is inaccurate. The fragrance of plum blossoms is an essential attribute, not produced by the cold. This reminds me of Bertrand Russell, who said during his lectures at Peking University that we must distinguish between the essence and the accidental nature of things."

These words startled Li Xiangyang so much that he sat up abruptly: "What did you say?"

Wang Ying was startled by him, and her voice lowered slightly: "My father told me. Mr. Russell visited China in the 1920s, and he said we should use scientific methods to think about problems. But my father also said that this doesn't affect the beauty of poetry, because poetry expresses a spirit."

"Your father even taught you this?"

“Yes.” Wang Ying nodded. “Dad has a lot of books. He said that Mr. Kant also talked about similar principles, and we should learn to think independently and not just follow the crowd.”

Li Xiangyang was stunned.

It's astonishing that a thirteen-year-old girl could offer such insights.

This way of thinking is indeed too advanced for today's times.

"So, according to you, the poem 'The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold'..."

“It’s a good poem,” Wang Ying said earnestly, “expressing a strong character. But logically speaking, the bitter cold is not the reason for the plum blossom’s fragrance. Frege said we need to distinguish between meaning and reference…”

Li Xiangyang was completely captivated.

The little girl's explanation was clear and logical, and some of the characters she mentioned were ones he had never even heard of.

But that doesn't diminish the fact that these people are all great people.

At this moment, Wang Ying was no longer the timid little girl she once was.

Li Xiangyang suddenly realized that when she was discussing these academic topics, she exuded a special kind of charm.

That is a composure and elegance that comes from within, a natural grace that comes from being immersed in books.

Li Xiangyang suddenly remembered a phrase—"A person with a wealth of knowledge naturally exudes elegance."

Yes, this is true knowledge—not for showing off, not for personal gain, but something truly ingrained in one's very being.

"Then tell me about something else."

Li Xiangyang put the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" aside and listened with complete absorption.

The kerosene lamp on the kang (a heated brick bed) emitted a soft crackling sound, its flame flickering gently, illuminating the harmonious scene.

Looking at her son listening attentively, Li's mother smiled with satisfaction.

She quietly cleared away the dishes, careful not to disturb the children's conversation.

As night deepened, Li Xiaohua had fallen asleep leaning on Wang Ying's shoulder.

Wang Ying gradually showed signs of fatigue, and her voice grew softer and softer.

"Alright, get some rest." Li Xiangyang said upon seeing this.

The black leopard cat leaped down from the windowsill, gracefully walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and curled up in a warm corner.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Li Xiangyang was awakened by the noise outside.

When I opened the window, the entire village was covered in snow, a vast expanse of white.

"This snow will probably fall all day long," sighed Li's mother.

After breakfast, Li Xiangyang wanted to go out and take a look, but the snow was too heavy and he couldn't go out at all.

He looked out the window at the swirling snowflakes and suddenly thought of something.

"Xiaoying," Li Xiangyang turned his gaze away and asked, "what do you think... the world will be like in the future?"

Wang Ying, who was teaching Li Xiaohua to write, paused for a moment, put down her pen, and began to think seriously.

"I heard that foreign countries already have televisions, so you can see things happening very, very far away. Their trains can run incredibly fast, and they have a lot of cars..."

Wang Ying's eyes sparkled. "I think the world will be even more amazing in the future. Maybe people will be able to build houses that fly in the sky, or boats that can travel underwater."

Li Xiangyang was shocked to hear this.

The little girl's imagination amazed him.

Although she didn't know that there would actually be space stations and nuclear submarines in the future, she could deduce these possibilities based on her existing knowledge.

"And what about people's lives?" Li Xiangyang continued to press.

"I think," Wang Ying said after a moment of contemplation, "that in the future, the gap between people will become smaller and smaller. Because with the development of science and technology, everyone will have access to good things and education. Just like in foreign countries today, their farmers have their own tractors, and their workers are literate and can read newspapers..."

Her eyes shone as she spoke these words; she wasn't reciting anyone's opinion, but truly thinking and envisioning.

Li Xiangyang listened intently.

He knew that the future would indeed be as Wang Ying had said, but it was truly remarkable that a thirteen-year-old girl could think of such things in this day and age.

"So what do you think we should do now?"

“We need to learn,” Wang Ying said with a smile. “Not only should we learn to read and write, but we should also learn foreign scientific knowledge. Look, they can build so many amazing machines; there must be a lot we can learn from them.”

"By the way, science is actually very interesting; it allows us to see the true nature of the world," Wang Ying suddenly said. "For example, do you know how to tell which is acid and which is alkali between vinegar and baking soda?"

Li Xiangyang was taken aback. He knew, but he didn't have the means to verify it. He immediately muttered under his breath, "What's the point of distinguishing it? Just taste it and you'll know."

“No, no,” Wang Ying shook her head, “Science requires methodology. It needs to be proven using observable phenomena.”

She stood up and went to the kitchen to rummage around: "Auntie, do you have vinegar and baking soda? And two small bowls too."

Li's mother was adding firewood to the stove when she heard this and smiled, saying, "Yes, they're all in the cupboard."

Soon, Wang Ying found what she needed.

She poured the vinegar and baking soda into two small bowls, and then added some warm water.

“Now we need a purple leaf,” Wang Ying said, looking around. “They’re hard to find in winter, but…”

Suddenly, she remembered something, ran to the cellar outside the door, and found a purplish leaf on an old pumpkin.

“This will do too.” Wang Ying went back into the house, crushed the leaves, squeezed out the juice, and dripped it into two bowls.

Something magic happened.

One bowl turned pale red, and the other turned light green.

"Wow!" Li Xiaohua stared in disbelief.

Even the black leopard cat pricked up its ears, its amber eyes fixed on the changes in the bowl.

"This is chemistry," Wang Ying said excitedly. "The red stuff is acidic vinegar, and the green stuff is alkaline baking soda. Using this method, we can distinguish the properties of many things."

"Of course, there's also mechanics. Look at the water boiling in the pot; steam is rising from it—that's also a change."

Wang Ying pointed to the steaming pot on the stove and said, "Heat cannot be created or destroyed out of thin air. This is the first law of thermodynamics."

She pointed to the firewood in the stove: "The firewood burns and generates heat, which is transferred to the water in the pot, turning it into steam. The heat continues to be transferred in this way."

"Where do those calories go in the end?" Li Xiangyang asked curiously.

"Heat always flows from hot to cold; this is the second law of thermodynamics."

Wang Ying explained, "Just like in this room, even the warmest kang (heated brick bed) will gradually lose heat to the cooler areas. This is a natural law that no one can change."