North of the Yangtze River, in winter in Guangling County, when the weather is cold to cold, snowflakes flutter and cover the mountain ridges. The sunlight is particularly warm under the reflection of the white snowflakes.
It is late winter. Three months have passed since Zhu Kui enrolled in Meihua Villa. During the winter solstice, the mountains and forests are much cooler.
Uncle He still went down the mountain once every five days, carrying a load of daily necessities such as oil, rice, and salt, and sorting out sundries for Zhang Jian, carrying them here and there. When they were young, they were a young master and a scholar.
, not only has a deep affection, but also taking care of Zhang Jian has become a habit.
As I get older, I always have to stop and take a rest from time to time while watching Uncle He clean up the housework. When winter comes, the work of collecting firewood for heating is more than three times greater than in summer, so it is even more tiring.
.
Zhu Kui felt very sorry that an old man who was over fifty years old had to work so hard to take care of him, so he went to Zhang Jian, bowed and asked for instructions: "I have seen the teacher!"
"What do you want from me?"
Zhu Kui collected his thoughts and replied: "Students see Uncle He taking care of the housework day and night, but also collecting and chopping firewood, and even going far into the mountains and forests. It is too hard. Besides, the disciples should obey the teacher's work, and the disciples should obey him.
I sincerely ask the teacher’s permission to let the students go down the mountain to buy dry firewood after their daily homework, and Uncle He will share one or two of the expenses.”
Zhu Kui's idea was to go down the mountain and buy ready-made firewood in the county, but he did not cut firewood in the mountain himself. In fact, the plum blossom villa is surrounded by plum blossom forests. Plum blossoms are in full bloom in winter. The plum blossom trees are green and shade. These branches are cut
Down, you can't use it as firewood, you can only go out of the plum forest and go to the forest farther away. However, the number of dead trees and branches is limited, and it takes a long time.
It is more cost-effective to go down the mountain to buy, and Zhu Kui has his own plans in mind.
Seeing that Zhu Kui knew how to care for the elders and was filial and benevolent, he had no reason to disobey, so he agreed: "You can decide these matters on your own. You can go to the steward to pay for the firewood."
"Thank you very much, teacher." After thanking him, Zhu Kui suddenly said: "Let me tell you again, teacher, I intend to exchange books for firewood, and use the volume of "The Analects of Confucius" written by the teacher in handwriting to teach the children of the farmers down the mountain in exchange for the firewood they prepare for the whole winter."
Hearing this, Zhang Jian got angry and reprimanded: "Do you know what you are talking about now? How can firewood be exchanged for the words of a saint?"
After three months of getting along, the relationship between teacher and student has become deeper and deeper, and they are no longer as rigid as when they first came here. Zhu Kui raised his chest and explained: "The teacher is impressed, but do you think the students use books to do business?"
"No, between teaching and exchange, the students only have the intention of spreading the words and deeds of the Master. In order to let more people in the world know etiquette and benevolence, what's wrong with this?"
"In the past, the master taught without distinction, and had disciples of all professions and professions. Firewood was obtained by the sweat of the mountain people. They used their own sweat to learn the words of the saints. The students did not feel that it was such an insult to the master's knowledge. The teacher could provide
Or not?"
Hearing the methodical explanation, Zhang Jian's anger subsided slightly. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that these remarks made some sense. The businessman exchanged money for books, the fisherman exchanged fish for books, the farmer exchanged rice for them, and the firewood man exchanged them for books.
Why can't it be exchanged for firewood? They all earned the opportunity with hard work, which shows that they yearn for etiquette and culture and no longer want to be vulgar people. The master teaches, and this is enlightenment.
Thinking of this, since he couldn't find any reason to object, he agreed and said: "You are good at eloquence, so I will rely on you." He smiled, went to get the handwritten "The Analects of Confucius" and gave it to Zhu Kui.
"The teacher has given me a reward."
Zhu Kui also laughed. In fact, he could have written down "The Analects" himself and secretly exchanged it for firewood. However, he felt that since he was sure to convince Zhang Jian, why not hide it and bury the details.
Maoting, outside Gaoyou County, at the intersection of the mountain trail and the official road, has four logs that have been slightly processed into beams and covered with thatch. From a distance, it has a strong natural character and the meaning of distant mountains, forests and springs.
.
There are some stone pillars in the pavilion for pedestrians to rest. Two young men in their early twenties, dressed as Confucian scholars, are sitting casually. The taller one has a white belt tied around his head and waist, looking like he has lost his father.
appearance.
Perhaps due to the appearance of the people around him and his youth, his voice was full of energy and spread far away as the two of them talked.
"Brother Zhao, I would like to express my condolences. Master Shan's destiny has come, and he died at an old age. It's not a bad ending." The young man who spoke had a compass-shaped object hanging on his waist...
"Hey, what brother Wu Xian said, how could I not be clear about it? But every time I think of Master Shan in the past, I can't help but feel sad." The young man with a white headband and a white belt had indeed just lost a relative. He looked sad and said, "I
I am a mathematician who knows the changes and can measure destiny or calculate the five elements of the earth. It is a pity that I cannot calculate the fortune of myself and my relatives. Otherwise, as a brother, I will see the last appearance of a single master."
"This is also helpless. Everyone is afraid of death. This is human nature. Therefore, when we calculate ourselves or our loved ones, we often have worries and cannot maintain a calm state of mind. The result of the calculation is bound to be inaccurate, let alone letting ourselves know.
I believe it." The young man carrying the compass also had a helpless tone, and suddenly thanked Brother Zhao with his hands: "I also want to thank Shanshi for promoting me as a righteous man last year. I wanted to thank you now, but it's a pity...
pity..."
"By the way, Brother Zhao heard that two months ago there was a decree from the imperial court to summon Brother Wu Xian to serve in the Taishi Academy. Why did he suddenly return in the middle of the journey?" Brother Zhao asked.
Hearing this question, the young man surnamed Wu suddenly looked around and saw no other people. He came closer and lowered his voice and said: "When I arrived in Yingchuan, I found that the earth's energy was loose, and there was a yellow dragon's energy coming from the north.
If I turn my red energy into blood, I'm afraid there will be chaos in the world... so I don't dare to stay any longer, let alone answer the imperial edict."
"What?" The young man surnamed Zhao was shocked when he heard this. He knew very well that his younger brother Wu Xian was capable of surveying the five elements of the earth, so he hurriedly asked: "Are you talking about a military rebellion? That will happen in a few years?"
The young man surnamed Wu shook his head and said: "Brother, I haven't practiced enough. I just feel the blood is soaring to the sky, but I can't calculate it accurately. I wanted to come back and ask Master Shan Pu. He has a profound knowledge of Yi, but unfortunately he passed away."
"What you said is true. In fact, Master Shan once observed the stars in the sky in his early years and said that there are three images of dragon energy in the world. These forbidden words are only known to me, the disciple of Yi Man. It seems that my dear brother has also felt it.
Is it just the north you are talking about?" The young man named Zhao thought about it and asked.
"Brother Zhao, does he know about the Taiping Road in the north?" asked the young man surnamed Wu.
"Believe in Huang Tian's Taiping Dao?" The young man surnamed Zhao understood immediately and said, "You mean the Qi of Huanglong, and you are referring to this Taiping Dao." The words blurted out, and after thinking for a while, he continued: "Xiandi brother
The guess is reasonable. This year, Taiping Dao believers are becoming more and more popular. In addition to Wujun and Kuaiji, Guangling, Yuzhang, Danyang, and Lujiang are all believers in the six counties of Jiangdong. Not to mention the Central Plains. If something happens, a prairie fire will break out.
momentum."
"Brother Xian thinks so too. It's just that although the Han Dynasty was in chaos, its power for four hundred years seems to be at most similar to the Eight Kings Rebellion. The lives of all people were devastated and they couldn't survive." Wu surnamed thought for a while and said that he
the opinion of.
The two of them were talking, and at this time, a young man, also wearing a Confucian shirt, walked up from a distance carrying two loads of firewood. His complexion was a little dark, and his steps were light. The two pieces of firewood were on his weak shoulders.
It didn't seem to weigh much. When they arrived at Sanchakou, maybe they felt a little tired, so they walked in directly, put down their load of firewood, found a seat next to the young men Zhao and Wu, and sat down.