Chapter 289: Asking for Advice
On October 8th, at work, Nanxi called me and said, "Shanhong, there's something wrong with Ms. Lu. Her Sun Palace and Moon Palace are both sunken. How can she say she has a father and a mother?"
I said, "Let's not talk about this too much. She once told me a fortune-teller's story, in which the fortune-teller said both her parents were dead. So when she said she wanted to go see her father that day, I knew what was going on and kept quiet."
She must be his brother's aunt's daughter. She was adopted here a long time ago. Didn't you notice the two drooping lines on her father's nose? They're exactly the same as my master's."
"But when I read her fortune, I couldn't predict that her parents would die young. But when I looked at her face, I could tell that her parents would die young."
"Her birthday must have been changed."
"Yes, those with great fortunes are hard to raise. Their birthdays are usually moved forward or backward ten days, so it's impossible to calculate."
"Oh, that should be the case. The reason I guessed she was my aunt's daughter was that she admitted to me that both her parents were gone. This shows that she is very aware of this relationship."
"Your statement makes sense."
My first day at work wasn't anything unusual. Lao Xiao called and said he was having some tooth sensitivity, and that it hurt when he ate spicy food or drank cold water. He asked if I had any remedies.
I said, "The simplest method is to use 30 grams of black tea, boil it, and boil the water several times. Rinse your mouth with it 1-2 times a day. This method mainly treats dentin hypersensitivity. You can stick to it for a while and see the effect."
When I was about to get off work in the afternoon, Director Shen called me and said he would come to Xuri after dinner.
He sounded anxious, so I waited for him in the room.
He arrived at seven in the evening. I closed the door and motioned him to go into the study to talk.
The study room only had a small round table and two chairs. I made two cups of tea, one for each of us, and sat down.
Director Shen didn't say anything polite. He took a sip of tea and started talking:
"I've received solid news that the organization is going to investigate our department's team. I don't know what this means."
"After Director Ding took over, Director Pi started complaining everywhere, right?"
He pursed his lips and nodded seriously.
I said, "I can't talk nonsense either. Please write a word."
He wrote the word "迷".
I nodded. "The traditional Chinese character for this word is 迷 (迷). It has no oracle bone script and only appeared during the Warring States Period."
When the ancients created this word, they were very vivid: a person stands at a crossroads with many roads leading in all directions, not knowing which direction to go.
The key to this character lies in the radical '走之' (zou zhi). It means "a person walking," also known as '走人' (zou ren). From another perspective, it also embodies the concept of 'walking people.' The character 迷 (mi) has nine strokes. In Tai Chi, every nine strokes represents change.
Mi's five elements belong to water, and the direction of water is north.
To sum up, this person's move to the north is called defeat."
"Oh, then who's going?"
"Boss."
"Huh? Why did you leave him?"
"First of all, you're not leaving. This matter has nothing to do with you. Ding won't leave for the time being, and neither will Pi."
"Why?"
"Because there's only one character in this word, 'mi,' which can be used to make inferences. What is 'mi'? It's the heart of the millet after removing the husk, that is, the main part of the millet. This represents the eldest brother."
"What should I do if he leaves?"
"You have to try your best to push him away. If he liked you, you wouldn't have rejected him in the first place."
"I push? Am I that capable?"
"I remember you told me that your boss likes to write poetry and has even published a collection of poems. You also said he likes to play Go, right?"
"Yes, Director Ding is appreciated just because he likes to play Go with him."
"Okay, how do you push him away? Let me tell you a true historical story first."
In the late Qing Dynasty, Ruan Yuan, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, was a talented provincial governor. Emperor Daoguang wanted to transfer Ruan Yuan back to the imperial court and entrust him with important tasks, so he consulted with Cao Zhenyong, the chief military minister, to verify his decision.
Daoguang asked: What kind of person is Ruan Yuan?
Cao Zhenyong was shocked. If this person came up, he would suppress him. He said that this person had extraordinary abilities and overflowing talents, and was a rare talent.
Daoguang said: Please be more specific.
Cao Zhenyong said: Yunnan and Guizhou are important border towns. Most people would be too busy to handle the work there even if they didn't eat, sleep or drink, but Lord Ruan can handle it with ease.
Daoguang nodded repeatedly. Cao Zhenyong changed the subject and said, "That's not all. Lord Ruan still has time to recite poetry, write essays, paint, and play the zither. He has published several books of poetry and prose in recent years. Now is the time for the country to use talents, and such ministers should be reused."
Daoguang was displeased after hearing this. He then checked and found that Ruan Yuan had indeed published many poetry collections. If a minister wrote poetry every day, he must be good at governing the country. Isn't that just an exaggeration?
Since you like to brag, aren't you deceiving the court?
Soon after, Ruan Yuan was transferred back to the capital and given a small but honorary position. Ruan Yuan never understood until his death why he had been inexplicably idle.
Shen Chu asked: "What do you mean..."
I crossed my arms, looked calm, and said, "The organization is here to get to know your boss. You can say he's highly capable, skilled, can work well with the cadres, and is an excellent card player."
He had elegant hobbies, had won the Go championship, and wrote poetry whenever he had free time. We each had a copy of his book, and after reading it, we all admired him.
You have to sound incredibly sincere and admire him. The assessment team had a bad impression of him after hearing this. No wonder there are so many conflicts at work. He's been spending all his energy playing Go and writing poetry.
I can predict that your boss will definitely be transferred."
Director Shen said, "Have some tea first. Your mouth is dry from talking."
I took a sip of tea and continued, "I'll give you an estimate. Once the boss leaves, the new leader will definitely use you. He'll slowly adjust the staff into place."
"Why?"
"He has a new heart and will never accept the old chaff."
Director Shen said, "I'm much calmer now. I do as you said, playing some cards and mahjong, and not visiting friends. My heart is as calm as water."
I looked up and laughed: "When the boss changes, you will have to move around."
Shen Chu stood up and said, "After listening to Master's words, my mind is clear. I won't say much to thank you. Anyway, from the first day I met you, I felt that you were a friend worth making."
I stood up as well: "I have some selfish motives. Helping you is to help you understand the past. Understanding the past is good for me."
"I understand what you mean."
We shook hands again and he went out. I didn't see him off.
I went downstairs and walked home along the embankment of the upper river without driving. I remembered something my master had taught me, and my heart was in turmoil.
He said: "Many people come to have their fortune told and the first thing they ask about is their career. In fact, they underestimate the word career. Many people don't have any 'career' at all.
A person should first make a good living for himself, and then make a good living for his family. If he is a little more capable, he should take good care of his relatives and make his family prosperous. If he is even more capable, he should take good care of his friends.
I think most people's destinies fall into these four categories. This is what we call "fatalism." May you find success in your own life, may you understand and live a good life. May all the good people in the world be safe.
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