Chapter 434 Enlightenment
Manbao asked, "This is the first question, what is the second question?"
Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang looked at each other and shook their heads.
Manbao and Bai Shanbao looked at the sun outside and saw that the sun was still so bright, but there was no feeling of being bathed in sunlight. They knew that it was almost evening and the sun might set soon.
So Bai Shanbao said, "Let's go and ask the master for advice."
Bai Jilang was not happy, "No, don't we have classes tomorrow?"
Manbao said, "Let's go and ask. We'll have to come back later to settle the bill and divide the money."
Two against one, Bai Jilang had no choice but to submit.
Mr. Zhuang was at the Bai family next door, drinking tea with Mr. Bai and preparing to have dinner together.
Seeing the three children coming over with the account books, Mr. Zhuang and Mr. Bai looked at each other and smiled slightly.
The three of them couldn't help but pout when they saw the smiles on their faces. Bai Erlang couldn't help but complain, "Dad, how can you be so dishonest?"
Mr. Bai laughed and said, "This is called business. You first dragged me to buy out the village's wheat seeds. Is this moral?"
Bai Erlang choked and turned to look at his two little friends. Seeing that they were silent, he also shut his mouth and kept silent.
Mr. Bai then taught the three children, "Merchants are driven by profit. If you want to avoid losses in the future, you must put more effort into your paperwork so that no one can exploit loopholes. Today, I will be lenient and only charge half the amount. Otherwise, you will lose more than just this little money."
Mr. Zhuang put down his teacup and smiled, "You've already answered the first question I gave you. The second question is about correcting the documents. The third question..."
Mr. Zhuang thought for a moment, then looked at Mr. Bai and said with a smile, "Mr. Bai, could you lend me your precious space to teach my three children a lesson?"
Mr. Bai was about to get up and leave, but he suddenly thought of something and sat down again. He smiled and said, "Sir, just pretend I'm not here and teach them."
He also wanted to see how Mr. Zhuang usually taught his three children.
Mr. Zhuang pondered for a moment, nodded in agreement, and then asked the three children to find a place to sit down.
Bai Shanbao and the others were too tired to find stools and chairs, so they simply found a piece of grass under a tree to sit on.
Seeing the three children sitting next to his flowers and plants, Mr. Bai's heart trembled.
"It takes time to write a perfect document. You'll need to work on this assignment later," Mr. Zhuang said. "When you grow up and understand more, you'll also need to learn the laws of this dynasty. If the documents you write are to be useful, they must conform to the law."
The three children said they understood.
Mr. Zhuang stood up, one hand behind his back, and walked in front of the three children. After a moment of thought, he said, "Master Caibai said that merchants pursue profit. This is true, but it doesn't explain it completely. In this world, it's not just merchants who pursue profit. Scholars, farmers, workers, even slaves below them, and even the royal family above them all pursue profit. Therefore, pursuing profit is not shameful."
The three children listened attentively. Bai Shanbao and Manbao thought about it and nodded. However, Mr. Bai, who was sitting at the stone table nearby, was stunned and almost dropped the teacup in his hand.
This, this statement...
"But, no matter how much you chase profit, as a human being, you should do what you should do and not do what you shouldn't do," Mr. Zhuang said, changing the subject. "I don't know what you'll do for a living in the future, perhaps you'll become businessmen. The third problem I'm giving you will be a much longer task, much longer than the second one. Perhaps you'll have to work on it for the rest of your life."
Manbao was a little nervous, "Sir, did we do something wrong?"
Mr. Zhuang was silent for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "You didn't do anything wrong, but I can't say you did anything right. Things in this world aren't decided by me alone. You're all very smart, especially in this matter, much smarter than I thought."
Mr. Zhuang glanced at Bai Erlang and said, "Even Bai Cheng, this time he was beyond my expectations."
Bai Erlang was not happy. He looked around and felt a little nervous. The atmosphere was really weird at the moment.
Mr. Zhuang looked down at his three disciples and said, "So you must study hard, read more, and think more. Perhaps in the future, you will be able to answer questions that even I cannot answer today."
"When we study, we should not only learn the skills of the ancient sages, but also learn how they behaved. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness are just the Confucian principles of life. After Confucianism, there are Taoism, Legalism, Military Science, and Mohism..."
Bai Shanbao asked, "Which school of life do you prefer, sir?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled slightly and said, "Of the various schools of thought, I've read the Confucian school the most and have a deep understanding of it. However, when it comes to handling affairs, I prefer the Taoist school, while when it comes to getting along with others, I rely more on the Legalist school. Since I went to the countryside to teach, I've also taken a liking to the Mohist school. Which school do you think I prefer?"
Bai Shanbao thought, how could he know, he was not a worm in the master's stomach.
Mr. Zhuang understood immediately after seeing his expression. He laughed heartily and said, "Even the worms in your stomach wouldn't know, because even I don't know. So why should I want to know?"
"Yeah, why do you have to know?" Manbao also asked in return. The books in the encyclopedia are never divided into different categories. The books in it are all-encompassing and have everything. Keke has never said that if you read the theory of one, you can no longer read that one. As long as she can afford the points, she can read whatever she wants.
At the same time, Dr. D and others who interacted with her never asked her, which school of thought do you prefer in life?
How can this be decided?
Manbao frowned and asked, "Isn't being a human being all about being whoever you want to be? Why should we care about which school of thought you follow? Confucianism advocates filial piety, but does that mean Taoists can't be filial to their parents? Doesn't it mean someone who dislikes neither Confucianism nor Taoism can be filial to their parents?"
Manbao was still young, and she didn't know how to express her thoughts better. She could only use the simplest language: "I feel that these things have always existed in the world. The so-called doctrine of being a human being is just a summary and conclusion of the ancient sages. Before Confucius talked about benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, did the world have no benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness?"
Mr. Zhuang was stunned by the question. He was a little dazed for a moment, staggered twice and almost fell to the ground.
Manbao, Bai Shanbao, and Bai Erlang were so frightened that they quickly got up from the ground and supported him. Mr. Zhuang grabbed Manbao's hand, his eyes sparkling, and he murmured, "Yes, yes, why am I confused? No, that's not right. Most people in this world are confused... Hahahaha, what's the point of arguing about Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism? It turns out we are all confused..."
Manbao looked at Bai Shanbao in confusion.
Bai Shanbao vaguely understood, but didn't quite understand.
He understood what Manbao said, and he also understood what the master said before, but he didn't understand what the master said this time.
Mr. Bai didn't understand either, but that didn't stop him from helping the three children support Mr. Zhuang.
(End of this chapter)
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