Chapter 271 Why are you still singing! (5,000-word chapter, please give me a monthly vote)
When I opened the letter, I first saw two short lines with four words.
It's safe.
Keep the path.
Is this answering his question?
Are you safe? —Yes, I am.
What do you want to do, where do you want to go? --Keep to the Tao.
Keep the Dao...! In the deepest part of Master Chu's heart, these two familiar words suddenly stirred a turbulent tide.
He still had one more question... the most important one... why? At first glance, there was no third line of answer on the letter, but the signature was written neatly.
It's a five-character signature...
"It's safe."
"Guarding the Way"
"Student, always happy"
“…”
student?
student!
The old man's vision suddenly became blurry.
As the old man blinked and trembled, the words on the letter paper also trembled, as if it was a letter from outer space, extremely unreal.
Looking at the trembling nine characters, Master Chu whispered hoarsely, "...Teacher wrote nine characters, and the student can't write one more? You are asking for a beating, you are asking for a beating..."
As expected, he still asks for a beating!
The old tutor's blurry gaze lingered on the word "student" for a long time, and he was reluctant to leave.
The old fingers trembled as they touched the two words, as if trying to confirm whether this was an illusion he had imagined before he died of old age.
After a long time, the old man's fingers moved gently and paused on the two words "guard the way".
He had heard these two words from his student.
That was before she went to marry into the Northern Di clan.
He had tried to stop her and lost his appetite because of it. When she came to see him, she was very calm and even made fun of him - "Teacher, as a role model for scholars in the world, you should put the people of the world first."
At that time, he felt heartbroken when he heard these words.
Why should he put the people of the world first? Who said he must put the people of the world first?
If he can't even protect his own students, how can he protect the people of the world! He has never liked anyone in his life. It was not easy for him to raise a student he liked so much. Knowing the hardships and difficulties she had gone through, how could he watch her go to purgatory alone? Hasn't she done enough for the people of the world? But what have the people of the world given her? There are so many ignorant, vicious, hopelessly selfish people in this world. Why must his students save this turbid world? If the world is full of such unfair and rotten principles, then let the world be, and who cares about it! In a sense, people who are too smart and too sober often have no "sense of right and wrong" in the secular sense.
He taught people to read the books of sages and follow the etiquette of sages, but more often than not, he would sneer at those pedantic doctrines. He looked down on them, not to mention being imprisoned by them.
He also said that he was not a saint at all, he was just an old guy who could only use a pen to curse people.
In short, he said a lot of reckless and angry words that day.
On the contrary, his students remained calm the whole time, and even sighed and reminded him: "Teachers should always be role models... Be careful that these words get out, or you will lose your reputation in the future."
He was so angry that he could not speak for a moment. He walked back and forth behind the desk and asked the student who was sitting and drinking tea: "Then let me ask you, what are you going to do? Are you going to die?"
The student finally looked a little serious and answered him earnestly: "Keep the Dao."
He asked again: "What doctrine should we follow? Whose doctrine should we follow?"
"Stay on your own path as a student."
Keep her own way.
What her own way is is up to her alone, so no one can persuade her or convince her.
He looked at her steadily, and spoke to her word by word, "You will die. It will be a thousand times more terrible than death..."
“Every time you go to the battlefield, you could die.” She said, “For students, we are all upholding the Dao, there is no difference.”
He finally fell silent in anger.
I vaguely remember that he gradually became unwilling to look at her anymore, and slowly turned around, facing the window behind the desk, with only his back to her.
"Since you are stubborn and stupid...then go away." After a long while, he said, "I will just pretend that I have never taught you."
He didn't see her expression and didn't know what it was.
Will you feel lost and sad?
I don't think she would!
After an unknown amount of time, he heard her gently put down the teacup.
Her tone was still very provocative, and she really didn't seem sad. She even said shamelessly, "Teacher, please don't say such angry words. I will come back alive to take care of you in your old age."
He said nothing, his expression still tense and angry.
Then, she probably bowed and finally said, "Teacher, I am leaving now."
Go!
Go and keep your way!
He didn't even look back until she left and closed the door of the study.
Was he speaking in anger that night?
Of course.
So, he soon regretted it.
Later, he thought, if he had not been angry with her as a little brat, if he had said to her, "Take care of yourself, live well and come back to take care of me in my old age", would she have thought more about him, would she not have died in a foreign land? This thought was like a sharp knife, it would pierce his heart whenever he thought of it, so he dared not think about it easily and shut it up tightly.
So, he would just call her a liar over and over again.
This fraudulent student...is back now.
Before she could recognize him, she went back to her ways.
Looking at those two words, Master Chu let out a complicated sigh and laugh.
He is also a liar.
In fact, he never blamed her, never thought she was wrong, never thought she was not motivated, and never felt that his teaching was in vain.
On the contrary, as a teacher, he is very proud to have such a student.
He really just felt so distressed, so distressed.
The simple words "keep the truth" cost her her life and her self-esteem. As a teacher, he was more like a father to her. How could he not feel distressed? This heart-wrenching pain caused him to feel regret and unwillingness that he could never reconcile with the world in this life, and made him want to be the enemy of all the truths in this world.
But his silly student's will to uphold the Tao is enough to coexist with the heaven and the earth. Even if she dies and comes back again, this will is still alive. She still tells him as a matter of course that she wants to uphold the Tao and she is upholding the Tao.
Master Chu took a deep breath, and tears fell on the letter paper.
"It's good that you're back..." He looked at the letter, smiled with tears in his eyes and whispered slowly, "It's good that you're back."
If you want to defend it, just defend it, and it will be fine when you come back.
Master Chu looked at the tightly closed study door and seemed to see the scene fifteen years ago when the girl walked out and closed the door.
This door has been closed for fifteen years.
Now, he finally saw the girl push the door open again. After fifteen years, she came back to him again.
He slowly stood up from his chair, put the letter away, and took out a painting.
The old man moved slowly and carefully, and hung the painting he had brought back from Dayun Temple in the twelfth lunar month in a place where he could see it when he looked up from his desk.
He didn’t dare to hang up before, fearing that he would fail, but now he is not afraid anymore.
Outside the study, the night rose and spread between heaven and earth.
A boy of about twelve or thirteen ran over but was stopped outside the study by the old servant.
"...I want to invite my grandfather to go watch the lanterns together!" said the young man with bright eyes.
The old servant was startled, stopped the young man, and said timidly: "Eighteenth Young Master, please don't make trouble..."
If you dare to invite the old man to watch the lanterns, you are risking your life!
The old man is not the kind of person who would join in such a fun, let alone a whole family going out together.
Just as the young boy was about to speak again, he saw the study door open from the inside and his grandfather walked out.
"Grandfather!" The young man hurriedly bowed, "Father asked me to invite you to go out and see the lanterns!"
The old servant sighed inwardly that human nature is treacherous. This father really doesn't care about his son's life or death.
"Lanterns?" Master Chu glanced at the full moon of the Lantern Festival and said with a smile, "Okay, let's go and see it!"
The old servant was stunned.
What's going on? Recently, we are talking about Buddhism and the way to enlightenment.
The young boy was also overjoyed and hurried forward to hold his grandfather's arm.
Master Chu had a smile on his face and no longer minded his grandson being clingy.
He had only two sons, and at his suggestion, neither of them entered officialdom. Instead, they spent their days accompanied by calligraphy and painting, and were quite famous in the literary world.
But the bad thing was that she was too idle, and she would always give birth to children for him, turning his house into a cicada's nest. In total, she gave him nearly twenty grandchildren. This was the youngest grandchild, the most naughty and the one who loved to put on airs the most.
Now, Master Chu suddenly realized the lovable side of his little grandson. He thought that although the boy was a rascal and had a childlike nature, there was nothing wrong with him.
But just as he walked out of the courtyard, Master Chu suddenly stopped, changed his mind, and didn't want to go anymore.
There are a lot of people at the Lantern Festival. He is old, what if he gets bumped into something?
Moreover, the spring examination was approaching, and the overt and covert counterattacks of those aristocratic families were becoming more and more dangerous. Countless people were watching him, hoping that something unexpected would happen to him.
The little grandson looked at the old man who suddenly changed his mind in confusion: "Grandfather..."
"Grandfather is afraid of death." Master Chu smiled and touched his grandson's head: "Grandfather wants to live longer than a hundred years."
The little grandson blinked.
Is this still the grandfather who always said "death is a good thing", "life is just like this", and "it's better to be buried early"? "Okay, you guys go." Master Chu said with a smile, "When you come back, just bring a lantern for grandpa."
He wanted to hang a lantern in the yard to pay tribute to some kind-hearted god, Buddha, demon or devil.
He also needed to hang a lamp and wait for his student to come back, just as she had done every time she went to the battlefield.
Now, he finally has students to wait for and a return date to look forward to.
"This is the greatest blessing in life..."
Tutor Chu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the full moon, smiling and sighing. Then he suddenly raised one hand and placed it in front of him, posing like a martial artist on the stage, with his eyebrows raised, and began to walk in a theatrical manner with clang-clangs.
He began to sing in Qinqiang: "The general's orders are being passed inside the treasure tent, listen to the three armies. Hundreds of thousands of troops are rushing in like a tide, and they will not stop chasing Liu Bei!"
Old servant: “……?”
Why are you still singing?
And he was singing a martial artist... Why did he suddenly become so passionate? Seeing the old master preparing to leave the stage, with a pair of dramatic eyes staring at him, the old servant weighed his sleeves and had no choice but to put on the posture of entering the stage and sing: "Liu Bei immediately burst into tears and cried, "Brother Liu Zong, the King of Jingxiang..."
“…”
On the night of the Lantern Festival, the old tutor’s courtyard was filled with the sound of opera, and the performance was very lively.
…
The capital city is unusually lively tonight. There is no curfew in the city, and the lanterns illuminate the entire capital city as bright as day.
Thousand Lantern Festivals were held in both the East and West Markets. Everywhere you looked, you could see a splendid sight. This prosperous night that seemed like a dream or reality made people temporarily forget the turmoil and war outside the capital.
Today was the day when Qiao Yumian came to Chang Mansion to see Doctor Sun for a follow-up eye examination. When she left Xingningfang, she met Yao Xia, Wei Miaoqing and others, and was dragged to the Lantern Festival together.
Although they were going to the lantern festival, a group of girls gathered together and every three sentences they talked about were about Chang Suining.
Qiao Yumian also shared the news she knew about Ningning with the other young ladies, but she was introverted and mostly just listened.
Her eyes were still covered with light green silk cloth, and she could vaguely see light and shadows interweaving in front of her eyes, making her want to reach out and touch it.
The lights and shadows were colorful and still dazzling through the silk cloth. After walking a few steps forward, Qiao Yumian vaguely saw a faint shadow walking quickly towards her.
She couldn't even see what the object was until she heard the exclamations and scoldings of the girls traveling with her.
"How can you be so reckless!"
"Whose husband is this?"
“…”
"Cui Liulang?" Qiao Yumian asked tentatively.
"It's me!" Cui Lang grinned and said breathlessly: "...I thought it was just a joke! It turns out that Miss Qiao really came to the Lantern Festival!"
Qiao Yumian curled her lips and asked, "Why is Cui Liulang running so fast?"
Cui Lang was about to speak when he heard the voices of Qiao Yubai, Hu Huan and others behind him.
Qiao Yubai came over and looked at Cui Lang in surprise. When he heard that Mianmian was coming to the Lantern Festival, how could Cui Liulang run faster than his brother! Although she met her brother, Qiao Yumian still preferred to go to the Lantern Festival with Yao Xia, Wu Chunbai and other girls. Qiao Yubai had to give her maid some instructions.
Soon, Qiao Yubai was pulled by several classmates to guess riddles.
Since Chang Suining's deeds spread in the capital, Qiao Yubai's status as "Madam Chang's only brother in the capital" has skyrocketed and he has become extremely popular.
Yao Xia walked around with Qiao Yumian for a while, and finally couldn't help whispering, "Sister Qiao...why is Cui Liulang following us?"
Qiao Yumian was surprised and subconsciously turned around to look.
Seeing her “looking” at him, Cui Lang knew that she didn’t see him, but he still turned his eyes away guiltily, and said something randomly: “Go, buy me that butterfly lantern!”
Yihu: "...Why do you want the butterfly lantern?"
Cui Lang blushed when he heard this and kicked the pot: "Who cares about me?"
Yihu had no choice but to cover his butt and buy a lamp.
Qiao Yumian smiled and turned her head back.
Yao Xia's round eyes moved, and after a moment, she whispered in Qiao Yumian's ear: "Sister Qiao, why do I feel that Cui Liulang seems to..."
Before she finished her words, she heard a shout: "Axia!"
It was the voice of her brother Yao Gui.
Yao Xia stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.
Yao Gui pushed his way through the crowd and walked over quickly, looking very anxious.
Yao Xia handed Qiao Yumian's hand to Wei Miaoqing, and then went to the side to talk with his brother: "Brother, what happened?"
Yao Gui was out of breath: "It's Sister Ran..."
"Cousin?" Yao Xia immediately became nervous: "What's wrong with my cousin?"
There was a lot of noise around, so Yao Gui couldn't speak clearly, so he said, "Come back with me, and we'll talk on the way!"
Yao Xia did not dare to be careless. He nodded quickly, explained to his companions that "there was an emergency at home", and hurriedly left the lantern festival with his brother.
When the brother and sister rushed back to the Yao family, they went directly to Old Madam Yao.
The whole family was there. Yao Yi stood beside the old lady, looking at his daughter who had been kneeling for a long time with a complicated expression.
Yao Xia was sweating profusely from running. After hastily paying respect to the elders, he rushed to the kneeling Yao Ran, grabbed Yao Ran's hand, and said anxiously: "...Why did my cousin have to become a nun?"
My cousin has been worshipping Buddha in her own small Buddhist temple for nearly a year. She seems to have come to terms with it these days, but why is she suddenly leaving home to become a nun? "When did I say I wanted to become a nun?" Yao Ran smiled and explained to her, "You must have heard it wrong. I am leaving home."
Yao Xia subconsciously looked at his brother.
Yao Gui scratched his head. His mother was anxious for him to go find his sister and come back to persuade Ran Ran, but maybe he didn't understand.
But...what does it mean to leave home but not to become a monk?
Yao Xia still felt uneasy: "Where is my cousin going to leave home?"
"Go find General Ningyuan's wife, Chang." Yao Ran's eyes were clear: "Join the army."
Yao Xia's eyes widened in shock: "Cousin... wants to join the army?!"
Yao Gui was also surprised: "Sister Ran, why did you suddenly want to join the army today..."
Yao Ran interrupted him softly, "It's not something I suddenly thought of today. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I just received Madam Chang's reply yesterday."
As she spoke, she looked at the reply letter in her father Yao Yi's hand.
Yao Yi's expression kept changing.
Years ago, his daughter had asked him to deliver a letter to the girl, but today he found out that the letter was actually his daughter's "self-recommendation letter"! But one dared to ask, and the other dared to accept. The girl's reply letter only had a few short lines, meaning that the army was not restricted by background, but it was extremely hard and life could be in danger at any time. All he had to do was think it over and then discuss it with his family.
There was no encouragement, no instigation, no rejection, no persuasion, only giving the choice to Ran'er and the Yao family.
Yao Yi felt extremely confused.
The one in front ran to the army without saying a word, and now she has become the first fifth-rank female general in Dasheng. It is said that she has become the chief instructor in the army... She is really powerful, but he is worried all day and night in the capital, and burns incense three times a day, which is more diligent than eating! Now, there is another one! He seemed to see lambs jumping out one after another in front of him, and he was in a panic and couldn't catch any of them! "...Compared to being confused all day long, trapped in a small Buddhist temple and a few pages of Buddhist scriptures, repeatedly begging for a way to atone for my sins, I want to go to a wider place and do something truly meaningful to find the real way to salvation."
Yao Ran kowtowed again: "Ran'er has made up his mind. I beg Grandmother and Father to grant my wish!"
That night, no one in the Yao family could sleep.
Three days later, a carriage left from the back door of the Yao family, drove out of the capital city, and headed towards the war-torn south.
At this moment, Jiangnan is becoming even more noisy and restless because of a manifesto that suddenly spread.
There is a thousand words to update today! Good night!
(End of this chapter)
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