amaotonovel Chapter 4122 When the Pumpkin Ripens (4)
Chapter 4122 When the Pumpkin Ripens (4)
Chapter 4122 When the Pumpkins Ripen (Part 4)
As dawn broke, a cool mist rose from the lake. The morning light shone on the lake, like silver coins sprinkled onto soft silk.
Another night of wind and rain; broadleaf plants, the best artists, painted the lawn and pavement a bright yellow with their leaves. Two fallen leaves were blown onto the glass by the wind. Schiller opened the window, took the leaves down, and placed them on the small table in front of the fireplace to dry. Gotham's autumn had already given him dozens of bookmarks.
The fireplace had been burning brightly all night and had only recently been extinguished, filling the entire living room with a pleasant, dry woody scent that mingled with the dampness that rushed in from outside the windows. Schiller heard birds chirping again, and looking out the side window of the living room, he could vaguely see a corner of a chestnut tree, with what appeared to be cardinals perched on its branches.
Schiller opened his phone, first using his points to order some basic groceries to replenish the refrigerator, then buying some coffee beans, black tea, and sugar with cash. He started the cleaning robot to clean the house, and then went out to class.
However, he didn't drive. Strategic resources like gasoline were rationed, and distributed according to the number of people. Schiller didn't receive much gasoline, not enough to support him driving to and from get off work every day, so on nice days he would walk to the bus stop.
There's a long walkway in front of his house; just walk along it, turn west, and there's a bus stop about a mile away. It's a few tens of minutes' walk, but the scenery along the way is quite nice, making it perfect for someone like Schiller who works late and walks there.
He only had one class at ten o'clock today, and since Brainiac got rid of those stubborn fools who had no talent but insisted on learning psychoanalysis, his classes had been quite pleasant every day. Especially since Jenna, one of the twins, entered the psychology department, she had been able to submit a decent short paper every week. Reading her papers was one of the few pleasures in Schiller's work.
It's a pity that Barry graduated early and didn't choose to pursue further studies, otherwise he could have seen two decent papers every week.
Thinking about the essay topic assigned last week, Schiller walked to the gate of his neighbor's yard and saw the large chestnut tree. The scientific name for the American chestnut tree is "American chestnut," a special subspecies widely distributed in the east. However, the original species has almost become extinct due to its susceptibility to disease; the current variety is likely a hybrid of a chestnut tree from China.
Chestnut trees are also a type of beech tree, and some can grow so large that four or five people can wrap their arms around them. However, this one is not that big; it takes about two people to encircle it. It produces quite a few chestnuts, and the ground is covered with chestnut shells that have been smashed open from falling chestnuts.
It's unclear whether the owner of this house moved away or simply didn't return home, but with no one tending to the chestnuts, this place has become a paradise for small animals. If all goes well, this wave of relief supplies will likely increase the rodent population in the nearby forest several times over.
Schiller went over to look at the house number, but unfortunately there was no contact information on it. If there were, he would have liked to buy some chestnuts from the homeowner and roast them with pumpkin on the fireplace; they would taste quite good.
After the economic policies implemented by Brainiac were relaxed, most daily necessities could be purchased with points or cash, and it was very convenient to order them with free delivery. However, there were still many items that were not available. If you wanted to eat them, you either had to grow them yourself or buy them from your neighbors in the community.
Schiller didn't see any chestnuts for sale on the app, so they were probably out of stock. However, he remembered there was a chestnut plantation north of Gotham, in Massachusetts, but it was probably not harvest time yet, so they weren't available in the market right now.
Greedy loves cooking; perhaps he'd like to make a chestnut stewed chicken so he won't have to eat at the cafeteria anymore.
Thinking as he walked, he quickly reached the bus stop. The bus was nearly empty; Schiller was the only passenger there. However, the bus driver was very friendly; he waved to Schiller and said, "Good morning, Professor. How have you been?"
“Not bad.” Schiller found a seat by the window and said, “It’s getting colder so quickly lately, and we’re running low on firewood. Maybe I should go to the neighborhood store to buy some after get off work.”
“Oh, then you won’t have made a wasted trip.” The driver shook his head and said, “Gotham cooled down too quickly this year, and the firewood has long been sold out. The three community stores on my route don’t have a single piece of firewood left. Brainiac has already planned to open up some woodland so that residents of less densely populated communities can cut their own firewood.”
"What about densely populated communities?"
"We burn coal, of course. There's still plenty of coal. What I envy most is the eastern district, where they have central heating. I wonder when my house will get its own heating system."
“Perhaps soon,” Schiller said.
Soon, the bus arrived at its stop. Schiller walked through the gates of Gotham University. Gotham University's new campus was beautifully landscaped, with various deciduous plants and evergreen shrubs, making it look far from desolate. Perhaps places with more young people always seem more vibrant.
Good morning, professor.
Good morning, professor.
"How have you been lately, Professor?"
"Would you like some coffee, Professor?"
The students flew into the empty classroom like a flock of chirping birds, still carrying the dampness of the air. The way they put down their backpacks and took off their coats was like shaking off feathers.
Gotham University also has central heating, and the classrooms were as warm as springtime. Schiller took off his coat and scarf, flipped through his lesson plans, cleared his throat, and said, "First, hand in last week's assignments. Jenna, you're in charge of collecting them."
The girl sitting on the far side stood up and said in a clear voice, "No problem, Professor."
Jenna didn't seem to have changed much. Aliens like her seemed to grow and develop very slowly; she still looked like a young girl. She had her hair cut very short, giving her a neat and tidy appearance.
After collecting the assignments, Schiller would begin his critiques. Every time he taught a class, he would sincerely thank Brainiac, because at least now, the students sitting in his classroom could write something legible, and there were even occasional pleasant surprises.
“Jenna, your analysis of the application of child psychology in the field of criminal psychology is very good. Can you tell me why you thought of writing this?” Schiller asked, looking up at her.
“Okay, Professor,” Jenna said, standing up. “Well, not long after I enrolled, I found a part-time job at a kindergarten in the factory area, which involved playing games with the children. That’s when I realized that it makes perfect sense that child psychology is listed as a separate discipline. Their thinking is completely different from adults, and it’s very interesting to study.”
"Of course, children are vulnerable; even a simple fall while running can have serious consequences. I get along well with the children, but sometimes I worry about what would happen if they encountered a vicious criminal. So, I looked into cases of juvenile delinquency and discovered that precisely because children are physically vulnerable and have low vigilance, they are easily targeted by criminals. To understand the psychology of perpetrators in juvenile crime, I conducted a series of studies..."
Schiller nodded repeatedly as he listened, and then said, "This article has many highlights. Although it is not yet good enough to be published in an academic journal, its analysis of many past cases may provide some inspiration for relevant departments. If possible, I will help you submit it to the internal teaching journal of the relevant department, and you should receive a considerable amount of points as royalties."
“That’s great, Professor. I’m really short on points.” Jenna smiled and said, “Our neighborhood is out of firewood, and ordering it through the app would cost a lot of points.”
Schiller nodded, then began commenting on the other students' papers. Most were well-written, but lacked any standout features. After offering some suggestions and assigning new topics, the lesson concluded.
There was supposed to be another class in the afternoon, but Brainiac apparently changed the schedule at the last minute, and the afternoon class was canceled. Schiller had planned to go to the stadium to watch rugby practice, but since practice was also canceled, Schiller had no choice but to prepare to go home.
Halfway home, Schiller realized why all the afternoon classes had been canceled: a strong wind was blowing across Gotham, scattering fallen leaves everywhere. The weather forecast predicted the wind would blow all night. It was best to stay home in this condition, as any outdoor activities were not advisable.
Fortunately, he had already ordered supplies in advance; otherwise, they definitely wouldn't be able to be delivered if he tried to order more through the app now.
Schiller opened the front gate and found the supplies he had bought neatly arranged in front of it. He glanced around the porch instinctively, but noticed that the deliveryman's footprints seemed a bit messy.
As Schiller pushed open the door, he realized that someone had entered his home while he was at work.
There were no footprints in the room, and everything was where it should be. Schiller walked to the fireplace and found some ashes blown up by the draft of the open door above the mantel.
He would carefully cover the gap with his body when opening the door, so there wouldn't be any soot. If soot was found outside the fireplace, it meant the door had been opened.
Schiller checked the room; there were no fingerprints, no shoe prints, and nothing had been rummaged through. It seemed the other person had only come in for a quick look and then left.
Schiller went to the backyard again. The three large pumpkins were still there, albeit picked too early; otherwise, they might have knocked the murderer unconscious. The gardening tools and soil also looked untouched, suggesting that the other party hadn't been to the backyard.
They went upstairs to check again, and found that nothing had been touched upstairs. It seemed that the intruder had just walked around the first floor and then left.
Schiller didn't know what they were there for, but they certainly wouldn't be coming only once. Halloween was fast approaching, and he'd be home all day then, so he'd naturally find out who they were.
Now there's a more pressing problem than the intruders: his firewood is running out again. He had planned to spend the afternoon gathering enough firewood, but a strong wind has picked up outside, making it unwise to go into the woods to chop wood in this weather.
Schiller opened the app again and found that the nearby community stores were indeed out of firewood, and even those further away were out of stock. For those further away, the prices were exorbitantly high, and delivery was not guaranteed.
Schiller sighed. Just as he was considering whether to go into the forest, the doorbell rang. He opened the door and saw Greed standing outside with a suitcase.
"Good heavens, what kind of weather is this! I just arrived and a strong wind started blowing. I was stuck in a pile of fallen leaves for half an hour. It was awful!"