The Sixth Section: Reading Seeds

  Yun Zheng came over again to borrow a hatchet, and the old clan leader seemed to have seen through Yun Zheng's thoughts. With a smile, he lent him his own hatchet and patted him on the shoulder, saying: "Young people have plenty of energy, as long as they are willing to work hard, they won't starve to death. Today, I happen to be going to Li Zhang's place for a banquet, and I'll help you get your household registration done. This way, you'll at least have a small piece of mountain land to farm, and if you're diligent, you'll soon be able to start a family and establish yourself."

  Yun Zheng thanked the old clan leader and reported his name and Yun Jianqiang's name to the old clan leader. Seeing that the old clan leader was repeatedly muttering and memorizing, Yun Zheng found a small wooden board, found some charcoal, wrote down the names of himself and his brother, and handed it over to the old clan leader.

  "Can you read?" The old tribe leader was surprised for the first time, his mouth wide open, snatched the firewood knife from Yun Zheng's hand and threw it into the bamboo basket, then dragged Yun Zheng up to their own bamboo building.

  "The Master said: 'Is it not a pleasure, having learned something to practice it? Having friends come from afar is it not a joy? To remain calm and unruffled when others do not appreciate you - is this not the mark of a gentleman?'"

  The Master said, "Is it not rare for a person to be filial and fraternal, yet fond of offending his superiors? One who is not fond of offending his superiors but is fond of creating disorder is unheard of. The gentleman concerns himself with the fundamentals; when the fundamentals are established, the Way arises. Filial piety and fraternal respect - these are the roots of ren (benevolence).

  The Analects of Confucius is a well-known book, but he was puzzled why the old clan leader had to shake his head and nod when reading this tattered thread-bound book.

  Moreover, the elderly man obviously couldn't understand what he was reading out loud, but he still put on a look of intoxication as if savoring fine wine, nodding his head and swaying to the rhythm.

  Tormented by the old clan leader for a long time, watching the sun climb to the top of the mountain, Yun Zheng couldn't sit still anymore. He bowed his hands towards the old clan leader and said: "It's getting late, I still need to go to the mountains to chop firewood. You know that we don't have any leftover food at home, if I don't chop firewood, we'll starve. The sky is big, the earth is big, but eating is the biggest priority. I'm taking my leave now."

  The old patriarch, who was rummaging through the boxes, burst out laughing when he heard Yun Zhen's words. He walked up to Yun Ye with a large bundle in his arms and carefully opened it, revealing several layers of blue calico wrapping inside.

  When the last layer of blue cloth was opened, Yun Zheng was surprised and exclaimed. There were no treasures in the package, only a few thread-bound books with rolled-up corners. The one on top, which was also the most tattered, turned out to be a copy of "Tong Shu" (Almanac). In ancient times, people relied on this book to determine auspicious days for farming, hunting, traveling, weddings, and funerals. Yun Zheng picked it up and flipped through two pages, finding the corresponding date for that day. Smiling, he said to the old clan elder: "Today is a lucky day, suitable for banquets, weddings, and praying for blessings. The only inauspicious thing is that there may be financial losses, so you should be careful."

  Yun Zheng took this sentence as a joke and told it to the old clan elder. He himself never believed in these things.

  Who would have thought that the old tribe leader jumped up, pointing to the mountain in the north and speaking a long passage in the local dialect, his expression extremely agitated. As someone skilled at reading people's words and expressions, Yun Zheng felt a kind of anger from the obvious oppressive atmosphere, the old man was scolding someone! As for who he was scolding, Yun Yan didn't care, anyway it wasn't him.

  The old patriarch scolded for a while before calming down, panting. Yun Zheng poured a cup of water from the nearby ceramic jar and handed it to the old patriarch, letting him take a sip to calm down.

  "The village head has blackened his heart, the old man is marrying a daughter-in-law today, and he will naturally choose a suitable day for drinking and celebration, praying for blessings, and a good wedding day. For us, it's just a big day of financial loss. It's better to listen to what the books say from now on. If anyone in the village dares to be reckless, I'll break their dog legs. That's what I'm saying. All these years, the village has only raised girls, and it's all because they've been living recklessly."

  Yun Zheng's eyes were starting to spin, he couldn't figure out how not following the calendar for daily life would relate to having a boy or girl.

  "Girl, from now on you'll stay in the village and read books to everyone every day. As for your food and your brother's, each household can spare a little and that will be enough for you two to eat. You're a scholar, take these books and study them well. If you can pass the imperial examination, our whole village will benefit from it. Nanshan's Guangling Village produced a Tongsheng, and that old man Zhou even performed three days of shadow puppetry in the village, what glory!"

  Grandpa, I also want to invite the shadow puppet troupe. It's just that the young people in our village are not making an effort. They're great at going up the mountain to hunt, but when it comes to reading and writing, they all become useless. Those capable young men who can kill tigers, as soon as they pick up a brush, their hands start shaking, and they can't even draw a circle after half a day. It's infuriating!

  Yun Zheng's shoulder was patted loudly by the old man, what else could be said? In one day, he changed from a young man to a little boy, and then from a little boy to a baby. The old man had become a grandfather, how could his grandson possibly have anything else to say? Moreover, this grandson was still worried about what to eat tomorrow. Under such circumstances, the other person's grandfather was settled.

  "Clan head grandfather, the young one has no problem studying, and it's likely that he'll have no issue getting a Tongsheng title either. Just give him a year or so, and I guarantee that I'll bring back a Tongsheng from the county for you. If there are more books to read, bringing back a Xiucai in three years shouldn't be difficult."

  Yun Zheng was skeptical, as a proud liberal arts graduate himself. The process of taking the exam back then wasn't easier than it is now, and he had emerged victorious from a sea of competitors to become a top student. Now, taking an exam at a level equivalent to that of a junior high school student shouldn't be too difficult, right?

  Yun Zheng's words brought tears to the old man's eyes, and he grasped Yun Zheng's hand, saying: "Good boy, good boy, Grandpa doesn't want you to stay in the village for a lifetime. As long as you can write 'Dou Sha County, Dou Sha Village' as your hometown on the exam paper, Grandpa will be content. When I die and go see my ancestors, I'll have something to say."

  You are the seeds of reading, and your younger brother is also a clever child. You two brothers study hard, even if the village has to sell pots and pans, you will be supported. From now on, you are the children of the village, and you should say so to everyone.

  The old man cried loudly, but his last sentence was stern and severe, leaving no room for any disobedience from Yun Zhen, which might be the dignity of being a elder.

  Yun Zhen was afraid that others would ask about his origins, but now it's okay. The old patriarch has issued this gag order, and I estimate that no one dares to disobey. The Great Song is still a clan-based society, and the old patriarch has absolute authority within the clan. His word is more effective than severe punishment. He said that Yun Zhen brothers are children of the village, so these two brothers are from Dou Sha Village in skin and bone. Those who dare to ask questions will generally be thrown into the pig cage by the old patriarch and thrown into the water tank. It sounds cruel, but this right has been passed down until the end of the feudal dynasty.

  The old patriarch wants to thoroughly erase the past shadows of Yun Zheng brothers. In the eyes of the old patriarch, they are all just children. As long as everyone keeps telling him that he is a child of Dou Sha village, after a long time, he will also become a person from Dou Sha village.