“Everyone has their own ambitions, so there’s no need to worry about Huai Dao,” Yan Liben said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Hehe! Young man, don't you have a teacher yet?" An old man's laughter rang out, and Qin Mu then noticed that behind the group of people opposite him was an old man sitting there.
"Qin Mu greets Senior Xiangli." Thinking of the Mo family people Qin Yue mentioned, Qin Mu's heart stirred, and he stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Hehe, no need for formalities, no need for formalities. You haven't answered my question yet." The old man, with white hair and beard and slightly cloudy eyes, walked over with a kind smile.
"Senior Xiangli has taken a liking to talent," Yan Liben said with a smile.
"There's nothing I can do. My descendants are useless. I'm about to take all this stuff with me to my grave. It's so rare to find a smart young man like this," the old man said with a smile.
"Replying to Senior, I already have a master," Qin Mu replied, bowing.
"Didn't you just say you didn't have any? Could it be that you look down on this old man and said that on purpose? I know you are a Confucian scholar, it doesn't matter, you can still use the Mohist techniques with your righteous spirit." The old man raised his white eyebrows and asked, then tried to persuade Qin Mu.
“Senior, you’ve really misunderstood. What I meant by wanting to take Huai Dao as my disciple is that it’s different from what you’re doing. If Huai Dao becomes your disciple, then he’ll be a successor of the Mohist school,” Yan Liben explained.
"Those who enter my school will naturally be successors of the Mohist school, which has little to do with his Confucian cultivation, although there are slight differences in their lineage."
“Huai Dao is a descendant of the Guigu lineage, but his master is no longer alive,” Qin Yao added.
Upon hearing this, the old man didn't bring it up again. If Qin Mu was just an ordinary Confucian scholar, not a disciple of a great Confucian scholar, joining the Mohist school would be fine. Qin Yao's point was that Qin Mu was a direct descendant of the Guigu lineage, and joining the Mohist school would be considered betrayal. Therefore, Qin Mu could take Yan Liben as his teacher, or he could take a great Confucian scholar as his teacher, but the Xiangli family, being one of the orthodox successors of the Mohist school, was unacceptable. This was a matter of etiquette and principle.
"What a pity! I heard everything you said earlier, it was very good. Let's discuss how to build it after the model is made." The old man looked at Qin Mu with regret.
"Yes, senior, please rest for a few days. We'll take care of this little thing," Yan Liben said with a smile.
"Huai Dao, didn't you have something to ask Senior Xiangli?" Qin Yue reminded him.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Qin Mu couldn't help but smile awkwardly. He did want to ask the old man in the mirror to help him make a jade seal, but he had just refused someone else, so how could he bring himself to ask again?
"Huai Dao, right? It's alright. If there's anything you need from this old man, just let me know." The old man was wise and insightful. Xiang Liyanlin saw through Qin Mu's thoughts at a glance and comforted him with a smile.
"I have a piece of jade and would like to ask you to help me make a jade seal." Since he had already asked, Qin Mu took out the jade essence and said.
"Jade essence! Such a large piece, very rare. Perfectly square, ideal for making a jade seal." Xiangli Yanlin took the jade essence from Qin Mu, examining it as he spoke. Then he looked up and asked Qin Mu, "What kind of design do you want? What font?"
"Just engrave the four characters 'Qin Mu's Private Seal,' and as for the style, do whatever is convenient for you," Qin Mu replied.
"Good! Since you trust me, I will definitely not let you down." Xiangli Yanlin nodded in satisfaction, then put away the jade essence. The old man left as he pleased, his hands behind his back.
Seeing that there was nothing more for him to do, Qin Mu bid farewell to Qin Yao. Remembering that Qin Mu hadn't fully recovered, Qin Yao urged him to rest more.
"If you're not going to stay and help, what are you doing following me?" Qin Mu asked curiously, looking at Qin Yue behind him.
"Hehe, I was just worried you'd be bored, brother," Qin Yue said with a smile.
"Those winking and eye-rolling are never a good thing."
"No, that's not true! I'm just keeping you company so you won't get bored."
"Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless again." Thinking that Qin Yue was worried that he would be misled by the Great Dao again, Qin Mu assured him.
"hey-hey!"
"Get to the point! If you don't want to, I'm leaving." Seeing Qin Yue's slightly embarrassed smile, Qin Mu guessed that he had something else to say and asked again.
"Indeed, I have something to ask Huaidao for advice."
"What's wrong? Why are you acting so strangely?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
"Just now inside, didn't you say you were digging a thousand fishponds near the reservoir to feed the fish? I'd like to ask you about the specifics of how to do it," Qin Yue said. He had just noticed that his father didn't seem to care much, but he trusted Qin Mu completely, especially since some of the planting improvements Qin Mu had proposed earlier had already shown results.
"That's all?"
"That's all!"
"It's such a small matter, what's there to be embarrassed about asking?" Qin Mu said irritably.
"I was just afraid of troubling you too much, brother," Qin Yue said with an embarrassed smile.
Qin Mu said his knowledge of agriculture came from his ancestral home, which was why Qin Yue was hesitant to ask. In this world, books are viewed with extreme polarization; anything related to cultivation is kept hidden deep underground. Yet, some scriptures meant to promote the Daoist tradition are wanted known worldwide. Qin Yue couldn't be sure whether Qin Mu was willing to share this knowledge or if he intended it as a family secret.
Food is wealth, and fish prices have always been high. If large-scale farming were possible, it would certainly be a way to get rich. Looking at it from another perspective, it's already quite generous of others to offer a solution; wanting to share the secrets of farming fish oneself seems a bit greedy.
"Since we're brothers, there's no need to be afraid of trouble."
"Hehe! I knew you were the right brother!" Qin Yue said happily.
"No! What you're saying makes me uneasy." Qin Mu felt that his words sounded familiar, so he quickly waved his hand and said.
"Hmm!" Qin Yue couldn't understand Qin Mu's meaning, so he raised his eyebrows and looked at him with confusion.
"It's nothing! Let's go back to the villa, I'll tell you how to raise fish," Qin Mu said.
"Okay, let's go!"
Urged on by the impatient Qin Yue, the two quickly returned to the villa.
"You tell me what to write," Qin Yue said, entering the room with practiced ease, finding paper and pen, and sitting down.
"What's the rush! I'm not going to run away. Let me make a cup of tea first," Qin Mu said calmly.
Drinking tea can calm the mind. Although the tea leaves are not roasted, the lightly bitter tea leaves are still quite pleasant to drink.
"No, no! Tell me first, I'll have someone boil some water and bring it over." Qin Yue said, pulling Qin Mu who was about to leave. After saying that, he jogged out of the courtyard. There was nothing he could do, since Qin Mu didn't have any maids here.
It wasn't that the Qin family hadn't made arrangements, but rather that Qin Mu wasn't used to being served and was afraid of being disturbed while cultivating, so he didn't have the maids stay in the courtyard all the time. He would only call them when needed.
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