FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 07:45
Sitting on a sofa, PETER scrolls through his Facebook feed on his mobile. There's an a black-and-white photo of a woman.
PETER (V.O): She's young and beautiful.
We follow Peter to read the tagline on screen: ...the old Kang You-wei (康有為) married the young woman as his last wife...a large age gap...
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): And Kang asked her not to remarry after his death?
Deep in thought, Peter then reads about the woman.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): It's true that she remained a widow after Kang's death...But in those days, she'd have done so nevertheless.
Peter continues his research with his mobile.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): In 1904, Kang bought a Swedish islet off Saltsjobaden, built a Chinese style garden and building, and lived there for several years...
Pondering.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): What a dream that must have been.
Act 2
INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Peter reads on.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Liang Qichao (梁啟超) was one of Kang's followers.
Reading.
PETER (V.O): He's very learned, from literary works and Japanese to finance and politics.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I've been learning to write, and I'm learning Japanese.
Reading.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): On finance, he related the story of Issac Newton speculating in stocks and losing 20,000 pounds, equivalent to 10 years of his salary.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): That's a lot of money, I wonder how much truth there is to that.
Peter researches further.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): As Warden of the Royal Mint from 1696 to 1699, Newton's annual salary was around 600-800 pounds.
Calculating.
PPETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Newton's 10 years of salary would be around 6,000-8,000 pounds, and not 20,000 pounds.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): What was the context?
Peter researches further.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): It was the South Sea Bubble - the South Sea company was granted monopoly to trade with South America.
Reading.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): And the company proposed a scheme to take over a large portion of the British national debt in exchange for company stock.
Reading.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): This led to a speculative frenzy, as speculators became caught up in the hype and bought the company shares at inflated prices.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): This happens all the time.
Peter smiles when he reads a quote.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): "I can calculate the motions of the heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people." Did Issacc Newton actually say this? Anyhow.
Reading.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): On politics, Liang was one of the first to introduce the concept of Marxism to China.
Peter's eyes widen.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Liang travelled extensively throughout Asia, Europe and United States, just like we do today.
Reading.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Liang died at the age of 55...and the exact cause of his death was unknown as it wasn't clearly documented.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Possible factors were declining health, stress and overwork and complications from surgery...
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): We've just one thing in common - the same roots in Xinhui (新會).
Act 3
INT. LlVING ROOM - 21:45
Peter inserts an AI drawing entitled "A Curious Mind..." to a draft in his laptop.
PETER (V.O): I'm an active learner, constantly seeking out new information and knowledge, even though I'm 70 already.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I don't accept the stuff I read at face value. I question the veracity of claims and form my own opinion.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I take pride in my continued intellectual engagement, although I can hardly match the level of impact of famous historical figures.
FADE OUT
THE END
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