After saying goodbye to everyone, Wang Lei rode a mountain bike reinforced with scrap steel pipes, carrying Emily with long hair on the back seat, and rushed all the way to the Braddock Carnegie Library on Library Street.

This is the earliest public library donated by the steel king Carnegie. It was built in 1888 and has a history of more than a hundred years.

This four-story ancient building, which is a mix of medieval and Roman Revival styles, has a triangular roof on the front, and two circular towers with conical roofs are symmetrical on the left and right sides. The gray walls look like clay sculptures made of mud, with a pothole, and look very old and ancient.

The library covers an area of ​​more than two acres and not only has a large collection of books and reading rooms, but also initially included a 964-seat concert hall, gymnasium and swimming pool, which other libraries do not have.

In the 1970s, the library was forced to close due to disrepair, but later it was renovated and reopened. To this day, only the library of children and adults, as well as an activity room, are still in use. The concert hall, swimming pool and other facilities have long been abandoned.

Mayor Hawke proposed in his campaign that the town's fiscal budget could no longer support the operation of the library. He planned to close the old Carnegie Library and transfer it out to raise funds to build a new, small library.

Wang Lei could not accept such a decision. He liked this library because books are the ladder of human progress, which was what the great philosopher Bacon said.

"Wow, welcome to Braddock's paradise," Wang Lei opened his arms and let the mountain bike slide to the steps of the library, looking up at the ancient building.

Argentine poet Borges once said: If there is heaven, heaven should be the way a library is.

Emily jumped out of the back seat of the car, raised her white little hand and closed her long black hair that was squirmed by the wind, and a sweet smile appeared on her face: "Hehe, let's go quickly, the children are all waiting in a hurry. This may be the last few times the story will come!"

Wang Lei couldn't help but frown, picked up the front wheel hatefully, and slammed on the ground: "Damn Hawk! He is not worthy of being the mayor of Braddock. We must let those who can maintain the library and protect the stadium be the mayor."

A bitch! Wang Lei's heart was filled with dissatisfaction and anger. He wanted to be an opponent of Hawk. He would be eighteen years old in a few days. There must be one of his votes from that bastard.

Emily also showed a sad expression: "But no one will compete with Hawk, he will be the only candidate."

"Ha, such an election is so fucking boring!" Wang Lei threw the bicycle to the side of the road in anger, kicked the iron railing next to him, and turned around and walked up the steps.

"We must not let Hawke be the mayor. I will think of a way, I will think of a way! We can recommend a new candidate, such as Director Abel."

Emily walked behind Wang Lei, and heard this, she poked her pink red lips and shook her head helplessly. Grandpa Abel is the director of the library and has lived in the town for the longest time and is highly regarded by everyone, but he is already 82 years old and cannot have the energy to manage the town.

Emily and Wang Lei are both volunteers in the library. Due to the tight finances and Director Abel's energy is limited, the library is now mainly relying on the work of volunteers to maintain operation.

As usual, they came to the reading hall. Grandpa Abel sat behind the big table and raised his head with a smile: "Haha, see who is here, our little princess and the little prince from the East, how are you?"

"Grandpa Abel, we are all fine." Emily smiled and walked up to her arms around Grandpa Abel's neck, and gave an intimate voucher.

Wang Lei also laughed exaggeratedly and said, "Haha, Grandpa Abel, you look energetic. How about we have a rugby game next time?"

Director Abel is indeed old and will only appear in the library when he is in good spirits. He always has to rest for three to four days every week. Wang Lei also understood that Grandpa Abel could not run for the mayor.

Damn it! Wang Lei cursed in his heart that the mayor of the town has no privileges and has to run around for the affairs of the town and rack his brains for the decline of the town, so no one is willing to participate in the election.

"Haha, if I was eighteen years old, your little body wouldn't stand the impact." Abel smiled and stood up: "Okay, the kids can't wait, let's go up too. Rex, you'll stay here. There are some old books in the box over there, please help me organize it!"

"Okay!" Wang Lei nodded. The library is open to the public for free. Not only does it have many books, but it also has the best environment for reading, learning and research. It is also an important place for group activities for residents in the town. Some public activities are often held regularly or irregularly. For example, free yoga classes, reading clubs where everyone can read a book together, computer learning courses, etc.

It's summer vacation now, and basically every other day or two there will be an event for children. This afternoon's event is a story meeting, Curator Abel and Emily, and Aunt Bella - another long-time volunteer, who will tell stories to the children in the town.

Watching Abel and Emily walk up the stairs, Wang Lei stood at the entrance of the stairs, heard the cheerful laughter of the children upstairs, and showed a faint smile on his face. He remembered the happy childhood he spent here when he was a child, leaving many beautiful memories, which are still unforgettable.

"Mommy, hurry up, the story will begin!" A chubby child panted and rushed into the library with sweat, followed by an equally hurrying white young woman.

Wang Lei quickly met up and held the fat man who was almost falling down by a sharp turn: "Matthew, slow down, don't fall, Grandpa Abel just went up, the story has not begun yet."

"Ah, Grandpa Abel has already gone up!" Unexpectedly, when he said this, the little fat man became even more anxious. He broke away from his hand and rushed up the stairs.

"Hey, Matthew, slow down!" The white young woman ran to the stairs and saw that Xiaopang had already run upstairs. She panted and held the railings. She smiled at Wang Lei: "The little guy is getting crazy, and she is clamoring to listen to Sister Emily telling stories all day long."

Wang Lei nodded with a smile: "Yeah, the children all like Emily."

"Yes, but they all hate you very much, saying that you snatched Braddock's princess, haha." The young woman joked, greeted Wang Lei, and walked up the stairs to the second floor.

"Wow, these damn little bastards, the princess is mine!" Wang Lei laughed, watched the young woman walk upstairs, and stood at the stairs and listened for a while. The children's noises quieted down and the voice of Director Abel was vaguely heard. Then the children let out a burst of warm cheers and applause. This time the story will look as successful as usual.

"Look, the children are very happy. Everyone needs this library. Damn Hawk, against the people, is doomed to perish," Wang Lei firmly regained his thoughts in his heart again. He clenched his fists and walked to the desk at the entrance. Under the table was a large tidy box, which was piled up with some worn books. This was the old book that Director Abel had just asked him to organize.

I don’t know where these books came from, but seemed to be left for a long time. The surface area was covered with dust and emitted a pungent smell of mold. Wang Lei fanned his nose with his hand, picked up a rag and carefully wiped off the dust on it. He placed it aside according to the content of the book, and registered it on a form.

"The Wealth of Nations", author Adam Smith, 198th edition; "Experiment and Observation of Electricity", Franklin, 1912 edition; "Jefferson's Autobiography", 1903 edition... These books are old editions, and if taken out, they will definitely cause a sensation in the book collection industry.

But they are even more of a spiritual inheritance, the spiritual inheritance of the Carnegie Library and the town of Braddock. Without them, Braddock, like many similar towns in North America, is doomed to decline until it is completely abandoned.

Hawke's economic revitalization plan is just his wishful thinking. Why do others choose Braddock? Pittsburgh is much more convenient.

Because Braddock's house prices are cheap? It's indeed cheap. A small building of 200 square meters only costs thousands of dollars. However, companies that are greedy for such cheapness are probably the kind of people who don't seek to make progress or are about to survive, and they cannot bring anything to the town.

Wang Lei shook his head disdainfully, put the 1932 edition of "The Legend of Lincoln" in his hand aside, picked up a thick book again, and wiped off the dust on the cover.

"Huh!" The line of letters on the cover of this book were actually handwritten, crooked and twisted. Wang Lei had been discerning for a long time before recognizing the words: President's Book.

Turning to the back cover and title page, there is no information on publishing or printing.

Wang Lei curiously opened the pages and found that the pages inside were surprisingly neat, like a new book, and the feeling of touching the paper in his hand was a bit strange.

There are only two lines of words on the page, saying "Stand with the upright man, be with him when he is upright, and break up with him when he is unrighteous."

The signature is Abraham Lincoln, which seems to be handwritten.

Above the characters, there is a light black and white photo, which looks very much like Lincoln himself.

Wow, great Lincoln! Wang Lei excitedly clapped the book in his hand. Lincoln was the president of the Civil War in the United States. He was recognized as one of the greatest figures in American history and the president that Wang Lei admired the most. Because he abolished slavery and liberated black slaves, everyone was equal and thus no longer a empty talk.

When Wang Lei turned to the front of the book, he saw no longer Lincoln, but George Washington, the founder of the United States of America and the first president in American history.

"The laws passed by the public must not be trampled by individuals."

It is really insightful and the most reasonable saying, but unfortunately, today, the act of trampling on the law still exists everywhere. Wang Lei nodded vigorously, thinking in his heart: The world is full of flowers and in fact, there are many crises. Those politicians cannot see these at all. Perhaps, only these great figures can rebirth turn the world and lead everyone to a new path.

"What gives people happiness is not wealth or prominent status, but inner peace and dedication." - Thomas Jefferson, one of the drafters of the ** Manifesto, and the third president in American history.

"Dare to do a great cause and win brilliant victories, even if you have failed, it is far better than those poor people who have not experienced many ups and downs, because the place where they live without victory and without failure is a gray dusk."

Oh! This is Theodore Roosevelt, the youngest president in American history, became the president of the United States at the age of 42, five years younger than the current President Clinton when he was elected. It is also the goal that Wang Lei is determined to surpass. He will be elected President of the United States before he is forty years old.

"The standard for testing our progress is not about which rich people we add icing on the cake, but about which poor people we provide timely assistance."

——Franklin Roosevelt, a wartime president who once led the United States to defeat fascism in World War II. He is the only president in American history to be ranked four consecutive times.

Each page has only one sentence, one signature, different handwriting, and a realistic and pixel-clear photo.

Wang Lei did not have the heart to explore where the photos of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln came from. Looking at these photos and mottos of successive American presidents, he felt something special surging in his body, and he couldn't help but turn it down one by one, and the more he looked, the less he could not extricate himself.

The presidents of the United States are elected. Most of the time, they represent the majority of public opinion and can win the fierce competition. They are also outstanding people who are excellent in all aspects.

Looking at these proverbs and photos, Wang Lei seemed to be able to see the passion and hardships they struggled along the way. There is something deeply rooted in his heart.

After a long time, he finally turned to the last page, from Washington to Clinton, this book seemed to include the greatest and most outstanding dozen presidents in American history.

At this time, Wang Lei seemed to hear a voice, constantly calling himself: Do you want to become the president of the United States? If so, then sign your name here!

I still have to think about this? Of course I thought about it! I thought about it very much, very much! Wang Lei almost shouted out that like many American teenagers, his ideal since childhood was to be the president of the United States.

Without hesitation, he picked up the pen, signed his name on the last blank page, and then tilted his head and thought: What would I do if I came to be the president of the United States?

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Chapter completed!