From time to time there are some clouds drifting across the sky, bringing some shade.
The ship occasionally stopped at the dock for a period of time along the way, with people getting on and off. In the blink of an eye, on the eleventh day, Ren Wei and Pei Ziyun also became familiar with each other.
Pei Ziyun's cabin was large, and he often took some cold dishes, a pot of wine, and a plate of peanuts. The two of them would sit and talk together, write poems and lyrics, or share some thoughts.
A pot of wine was placed on the small coal stove to warm, and the aroma of the wine filled the air. Pei Ziyun took a sip and smiled: "Be cautious when alone. This sutra means to be cautious when alone."
"Xiang Xian said: "The Doctrine of the Mean" is about independence, and "The Great Learning" is about sincerity, so we must work hard to get it right and not let it go."
"These words seem to be subtle and righteous, but in fact, they are very simple. People cannot be unfaithful, and those who are unfaithful will die. People cannot be unfilial, and those who are unfilial will be ruined. People cannot be unjust. Those who are unrighteous will be looked down upon. People cannot Being unkind, those who are unkind will never end well.”
"So under these social pressures, people cannot be said to be loyal, filial, righteous, or benevolent. At least they must be loyal, filial, righteous, and benevolent in order to survive."
"But are you really willing to do this? Do you still think so when you are alone and no one sees you?" Pei Ziyun smiled. In his previous life, when I was at work and in the company, whoever dared to yell at the boss would just pick me up and yell at my colleagues. Just cheating on my friends and yelling at my girlfriend that I am heartless and unjust
But on the Internet, when no one knows whether it is a dog or a cat, the true nature is naturally revealed: "I am a scumbag, I am a scumbag, I cheat my friends, I am ruthless and ruthless, can you bite me?"
This is the meaning of being independent in modern times. He said with emotion: "The so-called being independent means that when there is no pressure on you, your true nature is revealed. Are you still loyal, filial, righteous and benevolent?"
"If you can do this, it's mediocre."
Ren Wei was stunned as he listened. These days, Ren Wei has been admiring Pei Ziyun more and more. He feels that he is very extraordinary. Many of his opinions coincide with his own. But now that he heard it, he realized that at least in his mind, Pei Ziyun was far better. He threw away the chopsticks and sighed: "This statement is close to that of a sage. Brother Pei's commentaries on the classics are far superior to mine. I can't win the prize. You can't win either. It's really surprising."
Pei Ziyun didn't answer. He stood up and pushed the window. As soon as he pushed it open, a gust of wind blew into the room. Looking at the water, he said: "I was reading Brother Ren's article and I had some opinions. I said, Brother Ren, please listen to it? "
Hearing this, Ren Wei raised his glass and said, "Brother Pei, don't worry about me. Please tell me."
"In the scientific examination of classics, in addition to applying them to the world, there are also classics and commentaries. Although some things are useless to read, they are all promotion levels. Brother Ren is quite talented, but he is a bit rigid. If he can break some stereotypes, The success is easy to hear."
Hearing this, Ren Wei was full of energy, stared at Pei Ziyun and said: "Brother Pei is ridiculous. Brother Pei sees things more thoroughly than me. He can definitely pass the exam. Why don't you take the exam and be willing to be a scholar?" "
Pei Ziyun poured a glass of wine and said after a long time: "As an official, I work hard and work hard. One mistake may lead to my death as a heretic, and there will be no consequences. It is more in line with my nature to be free and easy."
After hearing this, Ren Wei picked up a peanut and chewed it. His mouth was full of strong fragrance, but he smiled bitterly: "Then you still need the capital to be happy. Without wealth, there is no talk of being happy."
"There are so many unsatisfactory things in life, how can it be harmful to just say it?" Pei Ziyun picked up a peanut with chopsticks and said after being silent for a while.
After the words fell, there was silence for a while, both of them drank and said nothing.
"The Wutou Ferry has arrived, the Wutou Ferry has arrived." The boat jolted as it docked. Seeing Ren Wei about to get off the boat, Pei Ziyun followed him and said, "Brother Ren has arrived at his hometown. You and I had a great chat. I'll see you off." "
"Thank you, Brother Pei." Ren Wei said. The two got off the boat and stepped onto the pier. Ren Wei pointed and said, "My home is not far away."
There is a street outside the pier, but it is about 100 meters long. There are not many shops on both sides, but there are still hotels, rice shops, and cloth shops. When they turned a corner at the street entrance, Ren Wei pointed to a house on the side of the river not far away. He said, "That's it. I've been entertained by Brother Pei on the ship for a long time, and he invited me to have a meal at my house."
Just as he said that, a young man hurried forward and bumped into him. Ren Wei felt something was wrong, so he stretched out his hand to grab the young man and said, "Song'er, where are you going?"
Hearing familiar words, the young man who originally lowered his head raised his head and realized that the person in front of him was his father. Tears fell down for a moment and he quickly said: "Father, it's not good, it's not good."
He said it hurriedly, and he was suddenly confused.
Hearing Xiao'er's anxious voice, Ren Wei panicked and asked quickly: "Song'er, you are in a hurry, but something happened at home? Don't be anxious, speak slowly!"
"Father, you are finally back." The boy stepped forward and hugged his father, then burst into tears and said, "Father, I was just about to go to the street to find my uncle and ask for some help."
"Last time, my mother borrowed ninety-six taels of silver for my eldest brother's illness. Who knew that Mr. Qian was ruthless and deceitful? Now a few months later, the loan with interest has been borrowed for thirty-six taels."
"I don't have any cash at home. I came to collect debts and asked to take away three acres of land from my family. My mother is planning to sell off her dowry. I want to go to the street to find my uncle to see if I can help."
After hearing this, Ren Wei's face turned pale. Thinking about his status as a scholar, he gritted his teeth and said, "Song'er, follow me back home."
"Yes, father." The young man had a backbone, and the three of them headed home.
Not far from the door of the house, I heard the noise. A large group of people gathered around the door to watch the excitement. Some people couldn't find a place and even leaned against the wall to look inside.
Seeing this situation, Ren Wei's expression changed and he strode forward. When the onlookers saw that it was Ren Wei, some of them avoided him and some did not recognize him. They said, "It is natural to pay back debts, so no wonder."
As they got closer, there was a stench, and a lot of excrement was splashed on the wall and door. Several big men were hugging them. A burly man, holding a bench, looked coldly at the mother and child in front of him.
There was another young man inside, his face was pale, he didn't know whether he was frightened or sick, and he kept coughing.
Pei Ziyun looked over and saw a plainly dressed woman holding jewelry and talking. The big man looked at it and said, "You can only get five taels of gold and silver jewelry at most. You still have thirty-one taels short of it, but you can't repay the debt. If you can't pay it back, you are awesome." The house deed and the land deed must all belong to me."
The lady begged and said: "Master Qian, my mother's family brought my jewelry. They are all high-quality goods and must be worth thirty taels. I'm not lying to you. You have to believe me. I will change them tomorrow and return them to you." Okay, without cattle, house, or land, we will be forced to death."
The burly Qian Ye snorted coldly: "If it weren't for the sake of your family and the scholar, I would have come to collect the money and drive you out. Now that you have been given some time, how long do you want to delay it? .”
Pei Ziyun and Ren Wei just came in and heard these words.
Ren Wei stepped forward quickly and shouted: "Master Qian, you are so majestic."
Mr. Qian was startled, stood up, looked at it carefully, and then hummed and said: "It turns out that the scholar of the Ren family has come back. Your wife borrowed thirty-eight taels of silver, and I am here to collect the debt."
When the woman saw Ren Wei coming back, her eyes lit up: "Husband."
Master Qian softened his attitude a little, but still sneered: "It is only natural to pay back debts. When it comes to going to the government, I am confident. Ren Xiucai, you come back just in time. If you pay back the money, nothing will happen. Do you want to blame us for collecting the fields?" The house is awesome."
"Here are ten taels of silver. You take it, and I will pay you back the rest later." Ren Wei took out ten taels.
Mr. Qian was startled, then laughed: "The ten taels can only be counted as interest. If you don't pay it off today, it will have to be paid again next month."
Ren Wei's face turned red and he asked: "How much profit?"
The man said: "Nine departures and eighteen returns, which doubles in one month. I borrowed this number just to save your face, scholar."
"Qinxiu, is what he said true?" Ren Wei looked at his wife and asked.
The woman's face darkened when she heard her husband's words: "I was deceived. Originally, I only borrowed nine taels, with an interest of twenty taels per month. I could pay it back when my husband sent the money back, but I didn't expect that it would cost me twenty taels per month." The interest doubled in the blink of an eye.”
Song'er, who followed, stepped forward: "Father, I also know this. It was my mother who was tricked."
"Come here and show me the documents." When Ren Wei heard this, he stared at Mr. Qian angrily and said. Mr. Qian took out a piece of paper and put it down. When Ren Wei was about to take it, Mr. Qian took it back with a sneer. : "Xiucai, wait until you pay back the money before taking it back, otherwise I'm afraid you'll tear it apart."
Master Qian took the ten taels of silver and was about to leave. Pei Ziyun stepped forward, stretched out a hand to stop him, and said, "Wait a minute."
Mr. Qian was a gangster, and he wanted to get angry, but when he saw Pei Ziyun, he suddenly became a little upset and swallowed the curse words.
Pei Ziyun was in the position of Juren, he had killed countless people, and he practiced Taoism. This was not just the so-called temperament. He stared at Master Qian, suddenly smiled and said: "It turns out it's just thirty-eight taels of silver, what does this mean? "
Pei Ziyun turned to Ren Wei: "Brother Ren, the last time you wrote a poem for me, I forgot to give you the money to polish the pen. You are also a bit pedantic, and you don't rush me when encountering difficulties."
After saying that, he took two banknotes and handed them over.
Ren Wei took a look and saw that there were fifty taels each, a total of one hundred taels. He immediately understood that this was Pei Ziyun who wanted to help him. Just as he was about to open his mouth to refuse, Pei Ziyun clapped his hands and said, "My nephew looks tired. You are my father." You should also pay more attention, otherwise your body and bones will be broken, but what should you do?"
Hearing this, Ren Wei blushed and was speechless immediately. He only heard Pei Ziyun say again: "Brother Ren, I have something else to do. The boat is waiting for no one, so I have to leave first. See you later for another drink."
After saying that, he lightly patted Mr. Qian on the shoulder and smiled: "Don't be rude and unforgiving. People are doing it, God is watching, and retribution is right in front of you."
With that said, he turned around and left.
Ren's wife, who originally had dull eyes, now became brighter. The crowd of people watching were talking and marveling: "You said that Ren Xiucai is really prosperous. He writes some contemporary articles and is actually worth a hundred taels of silver."
When Pei Ziyun went out, someone trotted to catch up with him. When he got in front of Pei Ziyun, he bowed deeply and said, "Thank you so much, Lord Xie Yuan. I, Ren Wei, will definitely repay you in the future."
"Oh, you knew it was me?" Pei Ziyun was startled.
"I didn't know it at the beginning, but we have known each other for more than ten days. You are so young, thoughtful, good at poetry and prose, and understand the current situation. You have insightful comments on transportation, customs, and military affairs. You are also able to cross a boat with profound talents and sentiments. Song - In this world, I'm afraid there is only one person in this generation, Mr. Jie Yuangong." Ren Wei said.
"Actually, in terms of talent, I am very ordinary. I just have some adventures. You don't have to send me far away. Say goodbye. I'll see you again someday." After saying this, Pei Ziyun smiled and added, "You are a scholar, and many things are difficult to handle. Just now You rogue, I have already taken care of it for you. This person is as strong as an ox now. As long as he encounters drunkenness and sex, he will die suddenly, but you have nothing to worry about!"
"Actually, my move is based on my talent. It's just that I am not planning to become an official in this life, so I have to live a free and easy life." After saying this, Pei Ziyun didn't stop.
Seeing his retreating figure, Ren Wei bowed deeply and refused to straighten up for a long time. He sighed sadly: "What a rare man in the world!"
(End of chapter)