"In the beginning, human beings are inherently good by nature, similar in nature, but far apart in habits. If they refuse to be taught, their nature will change..." As the morning sun fell, the sound of reading came from the school, and it was another day of reading.
This is a thatched cottage with extremely simple decoration, and it is also a rare place of purity in Ping'an Town. Walking into the gate of "Jianxuezhai", there is a neatly decorated grassland in the courtyard. In the southeast corner of the courtyard, there are
There is a huge locust tree with dense branches and leaves, and a canopy of green leaves. There is a stone table placed in the shade of the locust tree in this small courtyard.
After passing through the small courtyard, we arrived at the main hall of the thatched cottage.
There are neatly arranged small desks in the main hall. The boys and girls in front of the desks are holding books, shaking their heads and reading books. In front of the hall, an old master wearing an old blue shirt and Confucian clothes is holding a yellowed book in his hand.
, looking at the children below with a serious expression.
At this moment, two hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard, accompanied by a huffing and puffing sound. When they approached the main hall, the footsteps suddenly stopped.
Suddenly, two small heads of melon seeds were carefully poked out of the door. They were looking around inside. However, they found that the old master had stood in front of the door at some point.
"Zhou Chen, Wang Xiaohu, it's you two boys again, why are you late today?!" The old master looked at the two young boys in front of him with calm eyes.
The two young men raised their heads and glanced at the old master, then lowered their heads with guilty conscience.
After a while, one of the sturdy, tiger-headed young men raised his head and smiled honestly, "Master, I, I slaughtered a pig with my dad yesterday afternoon and made steamed buns stuffed with pork. They were delicious.
I ate it!, hiccup..."
"I was greedy this morning, so I ate a few more. Master, would you like to have one?" As he spoke, he stretched out his greasy little hand. Oops, there was a bun with pork stuffing on his extended right hand.
Yes! As for the left hand, there is one, but only half of it is left.
"Wang Xiaohu, you...forget it! I won't eat the buns. You go out quickly and finish the buns as soon as possible. Don't waste it. Then wash your hands. You must wash them clean. Do you understand? After doing this,
Come back to class right away!!!”
"As for your repeated lateness, I will take the time to have a good talk with your father! At this time, the most important thing for you is to study, you know!"
"So, Zhou Chen, why are you late again today?" The old master turned to look at the other young man and asked patiently.
"Well, Mr. Han, I went to get my grandpa a drink this morning, and then I need to make breakfast, so..." the young man said sheepishly.
"Okay, I know you are very filial and need to take care of your grandfather. However, you also need to pay attention to propriety. Since you come to my school to study, you must understand the most basic rules - punctuality. This is'
The performance of etiquette!"
"In a few days, when I am free, I will visit your grandpa again!" the old master said calmly.
"Ah, Mr. Han, you also want to go to my house for a 'home visit'?! Zhou Chen asked.
"Huh?! What, do you have any other opinions?!!!"
"No, no, how could it be? It's too late for me to be happy when you come to my house! It just so happens that the cabbage in my yard is ripe and can be cooked for you and grandpa!" The young man waved his hand hurriedly and said.
But after Zhou Chen finished speaking, he muttered, "How can you have no objection? The last time you went to my house, you had a quarrel with my grandpa, so we were about to take action!"
"Okay, then it's settled!" After saying this, the old master turned around.
"What are you reading? I will visit your homes one by one when I have time. Why don't you concentrate on studying?!"
"By the way, when the morning class is over, hand in the after-school exercises assigned to you yesterday. I want to check them one by one to see if you are lazy!"
"Ah..." Suddenly, there was a cry in the classroom!
…
Zhou Chen sat by the window, listening to the old master explaining the text in his hand. However, he glanced out the window and looked at the locust tree in the courtyard, his thoughts already drifting into the distance.
Suddenly, Wang Xiaohu, who was at the same table, pushed him with his hand and whispered: "Brother Chen, Brother Chen, don't be in a daze, the master is asking you a question!"
"Huh?" Zhou Chen's thoughts gradually came back, and he saw Master Han looking over, staring at him.
"Zhou Chen, tell me why you come to study?"
Zhou Chen thought for a while, "Master Han, since you asked me to say it, then don't be angry when I say it!"
"Actually, I just want to learn a few more words from you. I think your handwriting is very beautiful! In addition, I want to learn some arithmetic, so that I can have the opportunity to apply for the accountant job at Wangyou Building. I can make two taels a month.
Where’s the money? This way, I can make more money!”
"As for the rest, to be honest, I don't quite understand! As you usually tell us, we need to learn etiquette, know etiquette, and abide by etiquette. Is this still useful in Ping'an Town? It happens every day outside the town.
There are so many people who don't respect etiquette, and there are countless fights and killings!"
Zhou Chen expected that Master Han would be angry after he said these words. However, the imagined scene did not appear, and Master Han seemed quite calm.
"Well! Although what you said is not very satisfactory to me, at least it allows me to see your true thoughts and I can also see that you have thought about this issue carefully, which is good!"
"Wang Xiaohu, what about you, what do you think?"
"Uh, Master, I'm following Brother Chen. Whatever Brother Chen says will be whatever!" Wang Xiaohu scratched his head and said.
"Then you have nothing to say? Just say whatever comes to mind!"
"Then let me tell you, I think studying is very good. Here we have Brother Chen, my wife, and many friends... At home, I am the only one who learns how to kill pigs from my father!"
"Also, I always heard my dad say at home, 'For every person who slaughters dogs for justice, there are also scholars who are unfaithful!' 'Students are not a good thing!' He also told me to study less and stop playing with some scholars!
"
"However, I don't quite understand what dad means. I think you are very good, Master! It's different from what dad said!"
I saw the old master clenching some of the books in his hands, trembling a little, "Humph! Your father is just a barbaric butcher with little knowledge! He has met a few scholars and dares to speak so wildly. It is really, really insulting to gentlemen!"
"Barbaric, without respect for etiquette, he is just a butcher who kills pigs! Does he want his son to be just a butcher in the future?!" The old master was obviously a little angry at this moment, but he also knew how to restrain himself in front of the children.
"Master, my father is a butcher who kills pigs! Isn't it good to kill pigs? There are also pork buns to eat!" Wang Xiaohu was a little puzzled.
"There is nothing wrong with killing pigs... You are also relying on your own skills to make a living. But... forget it, I will talk to your father about this!" The old master calmed down again and said patiently.
"Zhou Chen, children! Reading and studying are not just for survival, but also for learning how to be a bookkeeper and supporting your family. It is also for you to broaden your horizons and increase your knowledge! Anyone who can write a book can probably do more. They are some saints and sages. From the book, you can learn their thoughts and learn some principles of how to deal with others. This should be good!"
"In my opinion, 'propriety' is the foundation of our humanity. The thoughts of those sages all embody the concept of 'property'. If there is no 'property', then we will be different from the grass, trees, insects, and fish outside." , what's the difference! If a person doesn't know 'propriety', no matter how powerful he is, he can only intimidate everyone, but 'propriety' can truly conquer people's hearts!"
"But if you study just for the sake of studying, you are already falling behind! As for the people you see outside, most of them only know how to fight all day long, but they have no thoughts inside. They are just driven by external forces. !”
"Most of you don't understand what I just said now, but even if you remember a little bit, it is good. I believe you will use it in the future. When you go back today, think about it carefully!"