39 Young Heart

◎Bullet screen: Yes, It will be OK.◎

Huo Yan did not eat the fish. He took two bites of bitter and astringent sunflower leaves, left two golden pills in an inconspicuous place for the old woman, and set off for Dongqiu.

He went into the woods again. The little pretty cat, who had to hide in the woods to avoid scaring anyone, flew to him with the skeleton of a deer in its mouth. It was covered in the smell of blood. Huo Yan was disgusted by it and just let it go to the pond to take a bath.

The little pretty boy shook his fur in a humane way, scaring the old horse that was given by the merchant whose wife and children's lives he saved, and then he swaggered away.

The horses were used to being frightened and would step back when they saw it.

Instead, Huo Yan took off his boots and hit Fat Tiger on the head.

"Stop showing off! Go wash yourself!"

Xiao Piaoliang whimpered before running out.

Huo Yan's side was finally quiet. He then picked up some firewood, lit a fire, gently supported his forehead, pulled out the paper next to the saddle, and carefully drew the forceps in the firelight.

If he hadn't made this trip and seen a woman having a difficult childbirth, he would never have thought of making this thing in his life.

"In Chang'an, I felt the world was so small, so small, and I kept thinking about how miserable I was. But when I left, I realized how vast the world was, how much suffering there was, and how my suffering was just a speck among the countless other people. All living beings suffer."

He paused, gently nudged the wood in the fire, making it burn brighter, and chuckled. "With ears deaf to the sounds, mouths full of sweetness, winter clothes, and the pampering of my elders, I used to think everyone in the world was just like me. Now, I see, even people in the world worry about their daily meals. Seeing all the people, I actually feel their cares on my shoulders."

"So if we're going to do something, we're going to do it big. To make people all over the world less miserable and less anxious about having enough to eat and wear. That's the purpose of my trip! I'm already on my way, gentlemen!"

Ah Yan, you are not only helping others through your own suffering, but also being kind and righteous rather than violent. You care about the well-being of the people rather than treating them like grass. You are now following the path of a benevolent ruler.

[Love everyone in the world, and your family is also everyone in the world.]

[The one above, you're f*cking crazy. Ah Yan's position isn't even that of an emperor.]

[Not necessarily. How do you know that I, Ah Yan, can’t become the Duke of Zhou?]

[Duke Zhou, it's impossible for Ah Yan.]

[Talking about helping others is no longer reliable, and robbing the rich to help the poor is even more inadequate. The only way forward is to be down-to-earth, engage in science, improve productivity, and strive to ensure that everyone has enough food and clothing.]

[When food is plentiful, people learn about propriety and righteousness; when food is scarce, what is the point of educating people?]

This is the magnanimity that a child of our flower-growing family should have. We firmly believe that with improved productivity and medical care, my brother and uncle will also recover.

[When the world gets better, the people you love will get better too.]

[Come on, baby, we'll go reinforce the dam of Huzi River later.]

[The curved plow starts, and Xiaoyan continues with the picture. The curved plow is the most representative agricultural implement of the Tang Dynasty. It consists of eleven parts: the plowshare, plowboard, plow base, pressure bar, hoe, plowspike, plowshaft, plow tip, plow stalk, plow stalk, and plow disc.]

[Waterwheel, plowwheel, plowwheel, water mill, start.]

[Baby Yanyan, cheer up! When we rescued the child who should have died in the womb, history changed.]

[Perhaps history has already changed, only in our invisibility. It can be done.]

[The Ma Yi plot was an accident. My dear Yan Xiaobao, don't be afraid. It won't happen again.]

[We are all with you.]

…

Huo Yan nestled in Xiao Piaoliang's body, looked at the starry sky, and his eyes seemed to be filled with falling stars.

He chatted with them casually while editing the picture.

"It's going to be nice weather tomorrow."

Everything will be fine, right?

[Yes, It will be OK.]

Chang'an Wei Mansion.

More than two months later, Huo Qubing finally received a large amount of food and a thick letter that his younger brother asked the merchant to bring to him.

He was actually still happy, because except for Liu Che, Huo Yan did not give as much to Wei Qing and others as he did, which made Master Huo very satisfied.

He read it carefully, word by word.

Brother, I was practicing medicine with Aunt Chunyu in Dunqiu, and I also fell in love with studying waterways. I designed and built a number of waterwheels to help the people draw water. They didn't believe me at first, but after I gave them money and Aunt Chunyu's assurances, they were willing to come. Later, when they saw the benefits, they came of their own accord and called me a fairy boy.

Brother, the mud in the river gets all over your legs every time you walk in it. Fortunately, I am wearing clothes given by my uncle.

Brother, I didn't save anyone, and I'm sad. Brother, I saw so many people not having enough to eat, and I'm sad.

Brother, why is salt so expensive, why are farm tools so ineffective, and why is it so difficult for ordinary people to live a good life!

As Huo Qubing watched, he suddenly felt sad and stood up to find Wei Qing.

"Uncle, I want to go to Dunqiu too, to find Ayan!"

Wei Qing was out of breath and slapped him on the head.

"It's okay for Ah Yan to go alone, but you're going too. Do you want your grandmother and your mother to cry to death?"

Huo Qubing was stubborn and showed the letter to Wei Qing.

"Ayan is feeling very uncomfortable because no one is talking to him."

After reading Huo Qubing's letter, Wei Qing looked at the letter in his hand which only reported good news but not bad news, and couldn't help but imagine Huo Yan squatting in the corner and crying.

Immediately, he carried Huo Qubing and went to Liu Che's side.

"Your Majesty, I want to go see Ah Yan."

Liu Che was reading the letter Huo Yan gave him, and upon hearing this, he just let him read the letter.

Huo Yan's letter to Liu Che was very official. He mentioned a few things about their property and then went straight to the point, expressing his views on the management of the Yellow River.

The Yellow River was so clogged with silt that simply building levees was insufficient. The river needed to be managed as a whole. First, a large levee would be built from Xingyang east to Qiancheng Haikou, stretching over a thousand miles to control flooding. Secondly, the Yellow River's course would be dredged, straightening its bends and ensuring a smoother flow. He planned to begin with the Huzi River. There were no shortcuts to managing the Yellow River; the approach was to prevent what needed to be prevented and dredge what needed to be dredged, step by step, without any attempts at shortcuts.

The embankment of Huzi River is already old. If it is not repaired, the next time there is a heavy rain, the sixteen counties below will be flooded. During the rainy season, the grains of grains gradually become full. Once the water floods, the grains will rot in the fields, and there will be no food for the next expedition.

So he hoped that Liu Che could send troops to reinforce the embankment and dredge the river.

He also wanted to conduct an investigation along the Yellow River. He said that comprehensive river management was just an idea now, and he would write to his uncle when the plan was mature.

Huo Yan's letter was full of excitement. He said that if this move was successful, it would surely save the people of the Yellow River from displacement for generations.

"Ayan is smart and always draws inferences from one instance to another."

Liu Che unfolded the map of Huzi River that he had given him, carefully pondered the plan he had proposed, and suddenly sighed to Wei Qing.

When Liu Che said this, Wei Qing's heart skipped a beat. Then he heard his Majesty say, "Qubing is in charge of military affairs, but if Ah Yan becomes interested in river management, who will take care of my prince's purse in the future?"

Wei Qing thought of the missing prince and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Sang Hongyang coughed.

Liu Che glanced at Sang Hongyang and thought that his miserable face would not lead to a long life, so he couldn't help but sigh.

"Ayang, you don't look like you'll live long! You might not even survive me."

Sang Hongyang gritted his teeth. If he had not really dared to attack Liu Che, he would have killed him long ago.

"Come on, Your Majesty, the prince hasn't even been born yet. It's too early to confirm the subject now."

Liu Che's eyes suddenly became dangerous. Sang Hongyang realized that he had said something wrong and rolled away.

Only then did Liu Che reluctantly look at him with favor and continue his melancholy.

"Ayan also gave me a lot of pictures of farming tools, saying that after the water is cured, he wants to go farming with Qubing. Qubing, I'm telling you, I don't agree!"

Huo Qubing didn't comment. After thinking about it, he felt that it would be a good idea to go farming with A Yan after defeating the Xiongnu. After all, with A Yan with him, he wouldn't be worried about having no one to talk to.

"I think so, Uncle."

Liu Che recalled the day he sent Huo Yan away. He had brought a carriage for him, and the boy looked at him with disdain. Then he thought about how he would be old and would have to send two more people off. He felt doubly sad, and tears were about to fall. "Unfilial son, I raised you in vain. You all went to farm, leaving me and your uncle, two old guys, behind. Wei Qing, please persuade them not to leave me and you alone!"

Wei Qing's head suddenly became twice as big.

Your Majesty, you are so kind to think about this future that is so far away from us.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my mistake. Instead of worrying about whether Ah Yan and Qu Bing will go back to farming, you should decide now whether to implement Ah Yan's plan to prevent any future disasters, or wait until the dam breaks."

"That man's dead, so you're going to give him another blow, right?" Liu Che rolled his eyes at him rudely. "Call Ji An, Zheng Dangshi, and the others over now, and let them take a look. If it's possible, why not do it? Wait until the dam bursts and all the food is flooded, and then it's too late to treat it."

After Wei Qing praised His Majesty for his wisdom, Liu Che brought the conversation back to whether Huo Qubing wanted to farm.

"Qubing, when your younger brother plans to take you to farm, you must tell your uncle!"

Huo Qubing nodded and said seriously, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will let you know where I'm going. Then I'll ask your Majesty, can you let me go?"

Liu Che was immediately moved. Ever since he had a psychotic and rebellious son like A Yan, he thought Qubing was the best. Qubing was his great pride and the young general that Liu Che favored.

"Go, just tell your uncle, you can go anywhere."

Wei Qing's brow twitched.

As expected, Huo Qubing immediately said, "Uncle, I'm going to look for Ah Yan. I told you, I'll leave tomorrow."

Liu Che's heart was stabbed, leaving two bloody marks, one from his rebellious son and the other from his rebellious son. He was so angry that he told Huo Qubing to get out!

"Go away, go away, all of you! You can't rely on me!"

Huo Qubing left with satisfaction.

Only Liu Che was left to continue emoting, "It's over, Qubing really has to go farming with A Yan in the future, what can I, an old man, do then?"

Wei Qing and Sang Hongyang exchanged glances, and both saw the word "lunatic" in each other's eyes.

"Your Majesty, shouldn't you be thinking about stopping Qubing or trying to persuade the elders at home?"

Wei Qing said again.

Liu Che didn't want to care about any of them and just pretended to be dead.

In the end, both sides compromised.

Huo Qubing still followed Ji An, Zheng Dangshi and 100,000 soldiers to Huzi River.

Then Huo Qubing watched his younger brother step into the mud on the river bank and chat and laugh with the people.

This is my younger brother who has always been reserved, loves cleanliness, and is reluctant to use any effort when riding a horse!

"Brother, come and see me. Do you want to eat loaches tonight? I'll catch some for you."

Huo Yan had become much darker and thinner. He was standing by the river bank, studying the river channel. When he saw him, he smiled, revealing two rows of neat little teeth, as if he had put everything aside and returned to his old appearance.

Huo Qubing suddenly laughed. He liked his brother being like this, so he got off his horse, stepped into the mud, and clapped his hands with Huo Yan like he did when they were children.

"Ayan, I'm coming to see you!"

After they finished speaking, the twins’ unique tacit understanding made them both put their hands on their hips and laugh.

Young people, after seeing the vastness of the world, still only know how to explore.

Sima Qian, who was following Huo Qubing desperately, also recorded this scene with a smile.

My friend Yan and his brother Qubing are both extremely affectionate and compassionate, and extremely clear and bright. I have never seen such a person in my life.

In the third year of Yuanguang, the Yellow River changed its course and went southeast from Dongyu.

In May, the river did not break through the newly built Huzi Dam, and the people of the sixteen counties were not displaced as in history.

This time, the project was not shelved for twenty years. As Huo Yan expected, the Yellow River Project was put on the empire's agenda.

Huo Yan brought his little tiger and slowly drew pictures along the coast.

Looking forward to the future, the projects he advocated will protect the people along the Yellow River for thousands of years as he expected.

【Author’s words】

This volume is finished.

Even after seeing the vastness of the world, young people still only know how to keep searching.

Congratulations to A Yan for always keeping his youthful heart.

It’s the end of the volume, the next chapter might be a sequel.

I want something sweet. If you have any ideas, tell me.

A little cutie told me that he wanted to read the Records of the Grand Historian, but I want to save that for the end of the main text.

This is a brief summary of A Yan.

The little theater made me think of their future farming life, hahaha.

Chechezi: All the ministers I found for the crown prince have gone to farm! Fortunately, Guangguang is still here.

Qubing: Guanger, let’s go fishing.

Huo Guang: "Okay, elder brother, I'll go! Hey, where's the second brother?"

Qubing: He has been lying there for a long time, saying that he is old and is waiting for you to move the fish for him!

Huo Guang: He is indeed my second brother.

Ah Yan: Zi Meng, you are fishing, not catching fish. Leave two for me. Give me the net as well. If I don’t give the good things to you, my brother, I will be wasting my love for you.