From time to time, clouds would float across the sky, bringing some shade to the ship.
The ship would stop at the pier for a period of time as people boarded and disembarked. In the blink of an eye, eleven days had passed. Pei Zi Yun and Ren Wei had become familiar with each other.
Pei Zi Yun's cabin was huge, and he often brought out some cold dishes, a flask of wine and a plate of peanuts. The two of them would sit down and chat, compose poems or discuss the meaning of the scriptures.
A flask of wine was placed on top of a small coal stove, and the fragrance of the wine permeated the air. Pei Zi Yun took a sip and laughed, "Be careful when you are alone. This scripture says to be careful when you are alone."
"A wise man once said, 'Be careful when you are alone, and the sincerity of' Great Learning 'is something you must work hard on, and not miss out on.'
"These words may seem profound, but to put it bluntly, it's very simple. One cannot be loyal, or else one's family will be exterminated. One cannot be unfilial, or else one's reputation will be tarnished. One cannot be righteous, or else one cannot be benevolent, or else one will not have a good ending."
"Hence, under the pressure of society, one cannot be loyal, filial, or benevolent. At the very least, one must be loyal, filial, and benevolent in order to survive."
"But is this what you truly want? When you are alone, and no one sees you, do you still think this way?" Pei Zi Yun laughed. In his previous life, when he was in the company, who dared to say that he was a traitor to his boss, or that he was a traitor to his colleagues, or that he was a heartless person to his girlfriend?
But on the internet, no one knew if he was a dog or a cat, and naturally he would reveal his true self, "I am a scum, a traitor to my friends, and a heartless person to my girlfriend. Would you bite me?"
This was the meaning of being alone in the modern world. He sighed and said, "Being alone means that when there is no pressure to force you, you will reveal your true self. Are you still loyal, filial, and benevolent?"
"If you can do this, then you are the 'Great Learning'."
Ren Wei listened in a daze. These few days, Ren Wei's admiration for Pei Zi Yun had grown day by day, and he felt that Pei Zi Yun was extraordinary. Many of Pei Zi Yun's viewpoints were in line with Ren Wei's. Ren Wei tossed his chopsticks aside and sighed, "These words are almost like that of a sage. Brother Pei's understanding of the scriptures is far above mine. If I can't pass the Grand Examinations, could it be that you won't either?
Pei Zi Yun didn't reply. He stood up and pushed open the window. As soon as he did, a gust of wind blew into the room. He then looked out at the water and said, "I've read brother Ren's essay and have some thoughts. Brother Ren, do you want to listen?"
Hearing these words, Ren Wei raised his cup, "Brother Pei, don't worry about me. Please speak."
"Classics and scientific research, in addition to the practical use of the world, there is also the theory of the classics. Although some things are useless to read, they are all steps to advance. Brother Ren is quite talented, it is just that you are a little rigid. If you can break through some of the stereotypes, it will be easy for you."
Hearing these words, Ren Wei's eyes lit up as he stared at Pei Zi Yun, "Brother Pei is too kind. Brother Pei sees things more clearly than I do. You can definitely pass the Grand Examinations. Why don't you take the examinations, and instead choose to be an Elementary Scholar?"
Pei Zi Yun poured himself a cup of wine and spoke after a long time, "Being an official is tiring and tiring. If I make a mistake, I might be beheaded. I don't have a good ending. I prefer to be free and unfettered."
When Ren Wei heard this, he picked up a peanut and chewed on it. He then laughed bitterly, "Then I still need to be free and unfettered. Without riches and honor, how can I be free and unfettered?"
"Life in this world is filled with unsatisfactory outcomes. How can one say anything bad about it?" Pei Zi Yun picked up a peanut with his chopsticks and paused before speaking.
As soon as he finished speaking, silence ensued. Both of them continued drinking without speaking.
"We've reached the Crow's Head Crossing, we've reached the Crow's Head Crossing." Pei Zi Yun saw that Ren Wei was about to disembark and followed him, "Brother Ren, you've reached your hometown. You and I had a good talk. Let me send you off."
"Many thanks brother Pei." Ren Wei said as the both of them disembarked from the boat and stepped onto the pier. Ren Wei pointed and said, "My house isn't far from here."
Once they left the pier, there was a street that was about a hundred meters long. There weren't many shops along the street, but there were a few restaurants, rice shops, and cloth shops. When they reached the end of the street, Ren Wei pointed to a house not far away and said, "That's it. I've been receiving brother Pei's hospitality on the boat for a long time. Please have a meal at my house."
As he spoke, a young man rushed forward and bumped into him. Ren Wei felt that something was amiss. He reached out and grabbed the young man, "Song 'er, where are you going?"
Hearing these familiar words, the young man who had his head bowed looked up and realized that the person in front of him was his father. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he hurriedly said, "Father, bad news, bad news."
He spoke in a hurry and was confused.
Hearing his son's anxious voice, Ren Wei was flustered and asked, "Song 'er, you're in such a hurry. Did something happen at home? Don't be anxious, speak slowly! "
"Father, you're finally back." The young man ran forward and hugged his father before crying out loud, "Father, I was just about to go to the streets to look for uncle, to ask for some help."
"The last time, mother borrowed nine taels of silver to treat big brother's illness. Who knew that the money lord was so vicious and deceitful. Now that it's been a few months, he wants to borrow thirty-six taels of silver."
"We don't have any money at home. He came to collect the debt and said that he wants to take away our three mu of land. Mother is preparing to sell her dowry. I want to go to the streets to look for uncle, to see if I can help."
Hearing these words, Ren Wei's face turned pale. He thought about his status as an Elementary Scholar and gritted his teeth, "Song 'er, follow me home and we'll talk."
"Yes, father." The young man finally had a pillar of support, and the three of them walked towards the house.
Not far from the house, they heard a commotion. A large group of people had gathered at the entrance to watch the commotion. Some of them couldn't find a good spot and were leaning against the wall to look inside.
Seeing this situation, Ren Wei's face changed as he took large strides forward. When the crowd saw that it was Ren Wei, some of them avoided him. Some of them didn't recognize him and said, "Debts must be repaid, it's only right and proper."
As they got closer, they could smell a foul stench. There was quite a bit of feces on the wall. Several burly men were crowding around. One of them was a tall and sturdy man who was holding onto a wooden stool. He looked at the mother and son coldly.
Inside the room was a young man with a pale face. It was unclear if he was frightened or sick, but he kept coughing.
Pei Zi Yun looked over and saw a woman dressed in plain clothes holding some jewelry as she spoke. The burly man looked at her and said, "Your jewelry is worth at most five taels of silver. You still have thirty-one taels of silver to pay your debt. If you can't pay your debt, your cow, the deed to your house and the land will belong to me."
The lady begged, "Sir Qian, these ornaments were brought by my family. They are all high quality goods. They are worth at least thirty taels of silver. I'm not lying to you. You must believe me. Tomorrow, I will go and change them. After that, I will return them to you. Without the cow, the house, and the land, you and I will be hounded to death."
The tall and sturdy Sir Qian gave a cold hum, "If it weren't for the fact that you have an Elementary Scholar in your family, I would have collected the money long ago and chased you out. I've already given you a few more days, how much longer do you want to drag this out?"
Pei Zi Yun and Ren Wei had just walked in when they heard these words.
Ren Wei took a few steps forward and shouted, "Sir Qian, you're so impressive."
The Sir Qian was taken aback and stood up. He looked around before saying, "So it's the Elementary Scholar Ren who's back. Your wife borrowed thirty-eight taels of silver. I'm here to collect the debt."
When the lady saw Ren Wei, her eyes lit up, "Husband."
The Sir Qian's attitude changed as he laughed coldly, "Debts must be repaid, it's only right and proper. Even if I go to the authorities, I will still be able to do so. Elementary Scholar Ren, it's good that you're back. Return the money and everything will be fine. If not, don't blame us for confiscating your fields, houses, and cows. "
"Here are ten taels of silver. Take it. As for the rest of the money, I will return it to you later." Ren Wei took out ten taels of silver.
The Sir Qian paused before laughing out, "These ten taels of silver can only be counted as interest. If you don't return it today, the interest will increase again next month."
Ren Wei's face flushed red as he asked, "How much interest?"
The man replied, "Nine out of ten, and the interest will be doubled every month. I'm only borrowing this amount because of you, Elementary Scholar."
"Qin Xiu, is what he said true?" Ren Wei looked at his wife and asked.
When the woman heard her husband's words, her face darkened, "I've been cheated. Initially, I only wanted to borrow nine taels of silver, and the interest would be two taels a month. I thought I would be able to return it when my husband sends the money back. I didn't expect that the interest of two taels a month would suddenly double."
Song 'er stepped forward, "Father, I know about this as well. Mother was cheated."
"Let me take a look at the receipt." When Ren Wei heard this, he was infuriated as he glared at the Sir Qian. The Sir Qian took out a slip of paper and placed it on the table. Ren Wei was about to take it when the Sir Qian laughed coldly and took it back, "Elementary Scholar, after you've returned the money, you can take it back. If not, I'm afraid you'll tear it to shreds."
The Sir Qian took the ten taels of silver and was about to leave when Pei Zi Yun stepped forward and stretched out a hand to stop him, "Wait."
The Sir Qian was a ruffian, and was about to fly into a rage. However, when he saw Pei Zi Yun, he felt a little frustrated and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
Pei Zi Yun was a High Scholar, and had killed countless people. Furthermore, he had cultivated Dao Arts. This wasn't just about his temperament. He stared at the Sir Qian before smiling, "So it's just a mere thirty-eight taels of silver. What's so special about that?"
Pei Zi Yun turned around and looked at Ren Wei, "Brother Ren, the last time you wrote me an article, I forgot to return the money to you. You're too stubborn. Even when I'm in trouble, you don't rush me."
As he finished speaking, he took out two banknotes and handed it to Ren Wei.
Ren Wei looked at it and saw that it was fifty taels of silver each. The total was a hundred taels of silver. He immediately understood that Pei Zi Yun was trying to help him. Just as he was about to reject him, Pei Zi Yun clapped his hands and said, "My nephew looks tired. As a father, you should take care of yourself. If not, your body might break down, and that would be bad."
Hearing these words, Ren Wei's face turned red, and was speechless. He then heard Pei Zi Yun say, "Brother Ren, I have something to attend to. The boat doesn't wait for people, and I have to leave now. Let's meet again in the future, and have a drink."
As he finished speaking, he patted the Sir Qian's shoulder and smiled, "Don't be so unforgiving. The heavens are watching, and retribution is just around the corner."
As he finished speaking, he turned around and left.
Ren Wei's wife, who had been looking gloomy, now had a bright glow in her eyes. The crowd around them started discussing amongst themselves, "Say, Elementary Scholar Ren is really rich now. What kind of article did he write? It's worth a hundred taels of silver."
As Pei Zi Yun walked out, someone ran up to him and bowed deeply, "Many thanks master Top Scorer. In the future, I, Ren Wei, will definitely repay you."
"Oh, you knew it was me?" Pei Zi Yun paused.
"In the beginning, I didn't know. But we've known each other for about ten days. You're so young, and you're proficient in poetry and literature. You're able to understand the current situation. You're able to comment on shipping, customs, and military affairs. You're talented, and you can even sing on the boat. In this world, I'm afraid only master Top Scorer can do this." Ren Wei said.
"Actually, when it comes to talent, I'm average. I've only had a few fortuitous encounters. You don't have to send me off. I'll take my leave now, and we'll meet again in the future." Pei Zi Yun then laughed and said, "You're a scholar, and there are many things that are difficult to handle. I've already helped you deal with the ruffian. That man is now as fit as a bull. If he were to meet with wine and women, he would die instantly. You have nothing to worry about!"
"Actually, I'm just using my talent to cause trouble. It's just that I'm still alive, and have no intention of becoming an official. Hence, I have to live a carefree life." As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Zi Yun didn't stay any longer.
Looking at his disappearing silhouette, Ren Wei bowed deeply, and didn't stand up for a long time. He then sighed, "What an extraordinary man!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
