The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 222 Origin
Lü Zhi was washing clothes under the eaves when she saw her husband return. She went up to help him change his outer clothes, and after taking off the wet clothes, she put them in a wooden tub to wash.

Liu Ji didn't rush into the house. He first looked at his son and his newborn daughter inside, and then sat down next to his wife.

As Lü Zhi washed the clothes, she said, "What's wrong with you today? You can't even hold back your smile."

Liu Ji took out a letter from his bosom and said as he unfolded it, "This is a letter from Xiao He."

Lu Zhi paused her washing of clothes slightly, glancing only at the papers in Liu Ji's hand out of the corner of her eye, before continuing to wash the clothes as usual.

Liu Ji opened the letter and said, "Xiao He said that he is now serving as a county magistrate in Guanzhong, and that the Prime Minister's office has issued a promotion order. If Sishui Pavilion is well managed in the future, I can also be promoted to county magistrate."

Empress Lü's expression remained calm and composed, at most she frowned slightly as she continued washing the clothes.

Liu Ji continued, "Lord Lü's knowledge is also remarkable. Even if our sons cannot become officials in the future, it would be good for them to study under Lord Lü."

Finally, Lü Zhi stopped washing the clothes. She first wiped her wet hands. Logically speaking, Xiao He shouldn't have been so inconsiderate of his past friendship with Liu Ji.

Moreover, before Xiao He left, he had given instructions to Liu Ji.

No matter what, Xiao He is now the magistrate of Guanzhong, and he will eventually come to help Liu Ji.

Lü Zhi dried her hands, snatched a letter, and under Liu Ji's smug gaze, she saw that the letter clearly stated that Liu Ying and Liu Fei could go to Guanzhong, and that Xiao He would take care of them.

Looking up again, Lü Zhi saw that Liu Ji's gaze was even more smug.

The husband's eyes seemed to say, "Don't you not believe me? Don't you think Xiao He has forgotten Liu Ji?"
……

Seeing her husband's smug look, Lü Zhi became even more annoyed, but she was quickly calmed down by the message on the letter. She said, "Although our family has a good education, there are now many places offering teaching opportunities. If you want your child to have a better future, you can't be like me."

Empress Lü had high expectations for her children.

Liu Ji could certainly understand, and Lü Zhi was a woman of great insight and experience.

At least, Lü Zhi thought that Liu Ji was a bad person, and that his friends or so-called brothers were either idlers or butchers.

These factors probably won't allow Liu Ji to be promoted.

After washing the clothes, Lü Zhi sat in the house, still pondering. She glanced at Liu Ying, who was sensibly tidying up the house.

She added, "Ying'er is still young, in a few more years."

Liu Ji stood in front of his house, nodding.

At this moment, Liu Ying had no idea what he was about to face; he could only guess from his father and mother's words.

Lü Zhi added, “Recently, the counties have been quite unsettled, and there has been some unrest over military service. You must not get involved; those who cause trouble will not have a good end.”

"Hmm," Liu Ji responded, still looking at the rain outside.

After cleaning up the dishes, Lü Zhi felt a glimmer of hope for the future, and her eyes lit up with a new light.

The next day, the Liu family started working on the farm early in the morning. Lü Zhi first took her son to the volunteer teacher at the entrance of the village to give a lesson.

Everyone in the village knew that Lü Zhi was of noble birth, but no one expected that her son would also come to teach in the village.

When Empress Lü brought her son to the school, she saw Lady Cao leading a child who looked two or three years older than Liu Ying.

The two women passed each other without saying a word.

Liu Ying knew that he had an older brother, the one sitting not far away.

There weren't many children in Zhongyang Village, and everyone knew each other.

However, Liu Fei was very loyal, and he would stand up for Liu Ying whenever anyone tried to bully him.

Liu Fei was highly respected among his peers.

After the class ended, Liu Fei shared the half-pancake he had brought with Liu Ying.

Liu Ying ate the pancake and said, "Thank you..."

Liu Fei was also dirty, but he said, "No need to thank me, we're brothers."

Although his mother had told him not to play with Liu Fei, Liu Ying felt that his older brother treated him very well.

However, while the other children left in groups, Liu Ying remained seated in front of the school, waiting.

The volunteer teacher, Jing, stepped forward and asked, "Why are you still here?"

Liu Ying replied, "I'll wait for my mother to come and pick me up."

Jing had only recently come to this village to teach. He asked, "Your name is Liu Ying?"

"Mm," Liu Ying nodded in response.

This child is very sensible and polite.

Jing could tell that he was different from ordinary children; he seemed more like a scion of a wealthy family.

However, Jing remembered that the child belonged to the head of the village.

Her clothes were simple and not particularly expensive.

When Lü Zhi arrived at the study, Liu Ying went to greet his mother and bid farewell to the teacher.

As night fell, Jing was still reading the letter that Lang had sent from Langya County. The light from the oil lamp was not bright, and reading the letter was tiring.

When the door was knocked on, no one knew which villager it was.

Jing opened the door and saw a child carrying a basket of duck eggs.

The boy was Liu Fei. He carried a basket of duck eggs and walked straight into the house without saying a word, putting down the basket.

It was raining outside, so it wasn't a good idea to leave the child outside.

Jing asked, "What brings you here?"

Liu Fei bowed and said, "My mother asked me to bring over some duck eggs." There was some glutinous rice sandwiched between the duck eggs.

Seeing that the teacher looked unwell, Liu Fei added, "This is a gift from the village head to you, a present from the county. Please do not refuse it."

At this point, the clever child began to talk about his father, Liu Ji, the village head.

Jing didn't know what to say. He was just a teacher and couldn't interfere with the head of the village. He thought he would go to the county later to discuss the matter.

I've been here for two months now. The head of the pavilion, Liu Ji, is a pretty good person and has a lot of prestige in the area.

Moreover, as soon as Jing arrived in this area to teach, he heard about Liu Ji's family.

As a teacher, one must interact with children, especially Liu Fei and Liu Ying, whose backgrounds are often mentioned.

These things are neither good nor bad.

It was someone else's family matter, and Jing was just listening.

Jing said, "Sit down, let's go home after the rain stops."

Seven-year-old Liu Fei knelt to one side and asked, "Where did you teach before, Master?"

Jing replied, "In Wuzhong."

"I've heard that you came from Guanzhong?"

"Yes, I come from Guanzhong. I have been to many places and taught students in many places. Wherever there is a shortage of volunteer teachers, I will go there."

"So, did the teacher come here because this area lacks volunteer teachers?"

Jing said, “We teachers travel around, and sometimes someone leaves and someone takes over. This is common sense. If we had more people, we wouldn’t have to do this. When I was teaching in Wuzhong, I met a particularly annoying person named Xiang Yu.”

"Xiang Yu?" Liu Fei asked curiously, "Who is he? Why does the Master dislike him?"

"Nothing to do with you."

Liu Fei said, "I don't want to become someone the Master dislikes."

Jing put away the books on the table and said, "He is an old nobleman of Chu, very stubborn, and unreasonable. I don't like people who don't listen to reason."

"Liu Fei doesn't like this kind of person either."

Jing felt that this child was very studious. A studious person is unlikely to become unreasonable; on the contrary, they are likely to become the most reasonable person.

Liu Fei suddenly said, "Master, you came from Guanzhong. I will also go to Guanzhong in the future."

Jing then asked, "What are you going to Guanzhong for?"

“My father has a good friend who is the magistrate of Xiao County. He is currently serving as an official in Guanzhong.”

When are you going to Guanzhong?

Liu Fei replied, "I don't know."

"Go to Guanzhong to study?"

"Yes, Liu Fei should become someone like Magistrate Xiao."

"Okay."

Although Jing didn't know what kind of person Xiao He was, he must be very important to the child.

Looking at the basket of duck eggs, and knowing that he was the only person from Weinan in the village, Jing understood the purpose of the basket of duck eggs.

He said, "As long as you can study well, I will go to Guanzhong with you in the future."

Liu Fei laughed happily, "Great!"

After saying this, the child happily left the school, making sure to close the door behind him.

Jing recalled what Lang had said: the people here are actually very simple and honest, and their thoughts are also the simplest.

Liu Fei's visit was mostly at the behest of his parents, and also to have more options.

How could Liu Ji, the head of Sishui Pavilion, not know the origin of this teacher, and that he himself would return to Guanzhong in the future?

Lang also said that when interacting with people here, it's important to listen to their thoughts and needs.

This is extremely important for the work of volunteer teachers.

Jing first encountered the word "civilization" in the books of Prince Fusu. Civilization requires cities and rule, language, laws and writing.

Only in this way can it be considered a civilization, and the stage of civilization we are in is still a stage that has just emerged from primitive ignorance.

The civilization nurtured by the two great rivers is still very fragile. If we want this civilization to become strong, we need to strengthen each individual first.

I gained my worldview from the book of Prince Fusu of Jing.

For the first time, this world was viewed from a broader perspective. This world was formed by the merger of six kingdoms and was also a new civilization.

The standardization of writing and the unification of cart tracks marked the beginning of a new stage in this civilization.

This is the source of Jing's sense of mission. He wants to witness the changes in this civilization, to see how people change, and to see what kind of world his generation can make.

Therefore, this mission is long and arduous.

Some say that Prince Fusu's knowledge came from the Hundred Schools of Thought, which is true, but not entirely. Some of his knowledge allowed Jing to see the world from a different direction and perspective.

The next day in class, I saw that all the children had arrived.

Jing hung a map on the wall, then looked at the children, his gaze lingering on the two brothers, Liu Fei and Liu Ying, for a moment, before telling them about the world and what kind of people lived outside Fengyi.

The children listened attentively, their eyes following the teacher's narration.

(End of this chapter)