Chapter 43 I Learned to “Raise People”

After returning from lunch, the master sat silently in the car.

I received a call from Mr. He. He said he was invited by the city leaders and would be here later.

I told my master, but he didn't say anything.

Returning to the living room, I quickly made a cup of hot tea and said softly, "You must be tired. Take a rest."

He shook his head, his face cold:

"Shanhong, your teacher has never been scolded by anyone before, but today he was secretly scolded by Kuansheng. I feel uncomfortable."

I consoled him, "In terms of skill, you're ten times better than him. He keeps talking about Tongji University and high technology, which is pure nonsense."

The master's face darkened. "Tongji's Department of Architecture is top-notch in the country. Feng Shui is part of architecture. You can't say he's unlearned. He is indeed well-educated and skilled.

Secondly, this computer image is ten times more powerful than the naked eye. For example, when I normally observe, I don't see that the Wangui Shopping Mall across the street has a sharp corner facing the second-floor window of Youranju. But today, when I glanced at it on his computer, it was crystal clear."

I think Master also agrees with Kuansheng’s statement?

The master said, "Go buy a round mirror right away."

After a while, I bought a mirror and came back. The master took me to the second floor and showed me the angles for installing the mirror.

After sitting for a while, the master regained his composure and asked, "Did you graduate from high school?"

I nodded.

He stared at me and said, "Keep your eyes peeled. If there's a training course like satellite terrain analysis, I'd like to send you there. Once you've learned it, come back and teach me."

"Shall I teach you?"

"Yes, the way of teaching is to teach and help each other. There is a sequence in learning, and each profession has its own specialization. Why can't you teach me?

The world is constantly changing. If we, as teachers and students, cling to the old ways and refuse to innovate, we may one day be left behind by the times.

I was shocked. "Master has such foresight. I am deeply impressed. Even if I graduate from high school, I will definitely master Kuansheng's stuff."

I immediately called Dongzi and asked about the situation.

Dongzi thought this was too easy: "There are plenty of opportunities. There are all kinds of training courses in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. You can learn anything you want. I can help you search on Baidu."

Within two minutes, Dongzi had sent me five training programs on WeChat. I read them to my master one by one. He smiled and said, "Choose this class in Hangzhou. You can go after the New Year."

As they were talking, a young man walked in. He looked like a college student. Master handed this easier target to me and went to visit a neighbor.

"Friend, fortune telling?"

He smiled innocently: "Besides fortune telling, can you give me some advice?"

"Okay, I'll give you a reference on something, is that what I mean?"

He nodded and explained his situation in detail:

He was a teacher's college graduate due to graduate next summer. His ancestors had been farmers for three generations, and none of his relatives had any government jobs—in other words, no connections at all. Those without strong connections were assigned to the countryside, and he had none at all, so he came to ask for advice on how he could stay in the city.

This is beyond the scope of my fortune telling.

Seeing that I was silent for a long time, he blushed and said, "Several of my former senior brothers also had no connections and were assigned to the countryside. As a result, they worked for five or six years and could not be transferred back to the city, so they have now taken root in the countryside.

I observed the visitor's face and, according to my master's teachings, he had the appearance of being rich and noble, but he needed someone to help him. I decided to help him.

This method is called "nurturing." Start helping now with anything that might be useful in the future.

I raised an eyebrow, "What's your name?"

"Jing Bosen."

"Your grandfather or father is very learned."

Hearing this, he replied in a clear voice, "My grandfather used to be a teacher. I know that what you said is my name. It comes from a poem by Du Fu."

I nodded and said, "I'll teach you a trick. It's called taking an unconventional approach."

He looked at me, waiting for me to continue.

I gestured as if to push the door open: "Next year when you're assigned a job after graduation, go straight to the Director of Education's office."

He stared, "Me?"

I nodded and introduced the moves to him in detail.

He was asked to enter, introduce himself, and then make a request, saying that he was willing to teach in the most remote, difficult, poorest, and least accessible village in the city, because few people were willing to go there, and because I was from the countryside...

Jing Bosen opened his mouth wide and asked worriedly, "What if I get assigned there and it's for life?"

I burst out laughing. "My friend, how could you be so naive? The director will definitely take out a pen and write down your name right away. Then he will tell your inspirational story at every meeting and hold you up as a role model."

"Really?" The young man's brows relaxed a little.

I asked back, "Isn't it? The director wants achievements, and the education system wants role models. Your actions are the ladder for the director's promotion. In less than three years, you'll be transferred back to the city, or even to the bureau headquarters."

"What if the situation isn't what you expected? For example, the director is transferred in two years, and the new director doesn't care about the old things."

It seems that today's college students are not easy to fool. They are more realistic than me.

I must not lose to him, so I put on an unfathomable look:

"There is a way. You want to live a white-collar life in a big city, and I understand. What if, by chance, the director praises you and sends you to a remote mountain village and leaves you there? Likewise, you'll have to leave the village in three years."

He asked anxiously, "Why?"

I smiled brightly. "The place you were assigned to is high in the mountains, the roads are long, there's not even electricity, there aren't many students, and few villagers can talk to you. Besides teaching a little every day, you spend your days with the morning glow, the setting sun casting shadows on you, and the night lamplight, gazing at your own reflection and feeling sorry for yourself, right?"

He scowled and nodded.

I encouraged him, "The scarier and lonelier it is, the better. You'll have plenty of time now. You can get up early to memorize vocabulary and stay up late to read. Three years, three years. You'll speak English as fluently as you speak your dialect, and you'll master exams as easily as drinking rice soup. If you can't get into graduate school, who will?"

The young man slapped his thigh and smiled:

"Brother, you're really good at speaking, and you speak very truthfully. You've pointed me in both directions."

I explained it to him: "The first is to use the power of others to your advantage. It's not despicable. If there are people like you who volunteer every year to teach in the most difficult places, then when you leave, someone will take over, and they will do so happily. The director transferred you back to the city so that those who are willing to contribute will receive the rewards they deserve."

The second scenario is that the director lacks foresight, praises you briefly, then abandons you to the countryside and leaves you alone. Or, if the director changes and deliberately steps down on someone favored by the previous director, then you've miscalculated.

But as with everything, good and bad are interdependent. Since you can't rely on others, rely on yourself. I suggest you pursue a postgraduate degree in law and finance, even if you can't even get in. After three years of hard study, you've acquired a wealth of skills. You can quit your job and travel the world without worrying about not finding a good job.

The young man stood up and bowed to me. "No one could have taught me this. Thank you so much."

I suddenly had a hunch and asked, "Do you live in Xicheng District?"

He was a little surprised: "Where am I from? You..."

I waved my hand, signaling him not to say anything more.

I was getting excited. I thought about the market in Xicheng District. Suddenly, I heard him ask:

"How much does this cost?"

I waved my hand, saying no, and added him on WeChat.

Jing Bosen thanked him profusely and left.

The master came back from outside and asked: What word do you want to predict?

I told him what had just happened.

He stroked the white beard on his chin and said, "To relieve the suffering of others is the greatest kindness."

At that moment, a car honked outside the courtyard. Master stood up and said, "Here comes Mr. He." We both went out to greet him.

Why did Mr. He come to Youran Ju?