Chapter 89: The Farmer Sage Xu Xing, The Philosophy That Food Is the Basis of the People( The Third Update Is Completed!)
"Well, are you here to seek refuge too?"
The old man looked at Qin Qi. Qin Qi's clothes were intact, his face was clean, and his expression was calm. He didn't look like a refugee.
However, it was snowing heavily. Who would come to such a place at such a time if they were not refugees?
"I'm not a refugee. I used to farm the land here. I passed by and saw a house built here, so I came to take a look.
"Did you build this house, old man?"
Qin Qi looked inside the house. Most of the house was farmland, and there was a small area where some people were eating.
"I built it. Those plants need to stay warm."
"Well, what's your name, sir?"
The old man looked at Qin Qi. He was a little excited and a little embarrassed. He wanted to reach out and shake hands with Qin Qi, but looked at his miserable palms.
He thought Qin Qi might dislike it, so he wiped it on his clothes, but it still felt too dirty.
"My name is Qin Qi. What's your name?"
Qin Qi said.
"My last name is Xu. Everyone calls me Old Man Xu. You can call me Old Man Xu, too. If you don't mind, come in and take a look."
Old Man Xu saw Qin Qi looking inside, so he invited Qin Qi to come in and take a look.
"good."
Qin Qi nodded, then followed Old Man Xu into the house. The old man took him around the fields.
"This land is really great. Not only is it very fertile, but the plants here are also very tenacious!"
"Even with their backs bent and their heads buried in the snow, they persevered stubbornly!"
"Mr. Qin Qi, I really don't understand why you would abandon these magical plants?"
Old man Xu believed Qin Qi's words easily. He is such an honest and trusting person.
He never quarreled with anyone, never fought with anyone, and rarely got angry, but his tone was a little unhappy when he spoke to Qin Qi.
He really couldn't understand why Qin Qi would abandon such good land and such good plants.
I wonder how many people these things can feed!
"Because I was just planting them randomly at the time, and these plants should face the wind and snow on their own. Only if they can persevere can they thrive."
"They can't really grow up if they live in a greenhouse all the time.
Qin Qi discovered the problem with these plants at that time, and they were able to grow in winter because of the power of the Qin Queen.
But after Qin Qi removes his power, these plants will slowly freeze to death. These plants are just plants in a greenhouse.
If he left the greenhouse and Qin Qi, he would not be able to survive in the world, so Qin Qi gave it up.
We didn't dispose of them because we wanted to give these plants a chance. If they can survive the severe cold, they will be able to get a new life!
"Sir, I was so rude just now. You are right. These little guys will have to face the storm on their own in the end."
"But I think we shouldn't abandon them, we should keep them and help them face the storm.
"This kind of help is to lend a hand at a critical moment, giving them the strength to fight against those difficulties!"
Old man Xu walked into the farmland and carefully observed the appearance of each plant. He really liked these plants.
He has been farming all his life. He has no wife and no children. The fields are his family and the plants are his children.
"You should know that even if you cultivate them well, they will still die when they mature."
Qin Qi also went to the fields to observe the plants carefully. He was surprised to find that these plants were different from when he planted them.
They are beginning to adapt to the cold and evolve! In a while, perhaps they will become plants that can truly grow in winter!
"They will die, but the seeds will remain, to be planted again and grow again. This is the cycle of life."
"I see you value these plants very much. Doesn't it bother you to watch them being cut down and eaten?"
"Sir, you must be kidding me. Although I am a farmer, I still know about the natural world of life and death."
"They grow up, are eaten by humans, and after many years the humans die and return to the heaven and earth, where the earth once again nurtures their offspring."
"I don't know what others think, but if I can foster such a beautiful life after my death, then I feel my death is meaningful.
Old man Xu is very old and he no longer cares much about life and death. He feels that life or death is a happy thing.
"Everything is reincarnation."
"Are you from a farming family?"
Qin Qi looked at Old Man Xu. He felt that this statement had a lot of agricultural connotations, meaning that the earth nourishes all things and Shennong is immortal.
However, he was a little surprised that besides those guys fighting for fame and fortune, there was actually a master of such a level in the farming family.
"Farmer? No, I'm just a farmer."
Old man Xu was a little confused after hearing what Qin Qi said. He didn't know what a farmer was. He was just a farmer.
"Hmm? Did I make a mistake?"
Qin Qi looked at Old Man Xu. He could tell that he was not lying, but his knowledge and speech were not like those of an ordinary person.
"Nongjia Liutang, Xia Kui, old man, you really don't know?"
"I don't know. I used to farm in the mountains, but then there was a flood, so I had no choice but to leave."
"I came across this nice field on the road and couldn't bear to leave, so I stayed to farm it. I don't know what a farmer or a knight is."
"Are they famous?"
Old man Xu asked.
"Not much, just a bunch of thugs using the name of Shennong. Let's not talk about them. What's going on with these people? Your family?"
Qin Qi looked at the people who were warming themselves and eating in the corner, and he asked.
"No, it seems that there has been a war between Han and Qin recently. These people are refugees and they couldn't stand the hunger on the way."
"I happened to meet them and brought them back. It's freezing here, and they might starve to death."
Old man Xu looked at those people and sighed.
"You're a refugee too, aren't you afraid they'll eat all your food and you'll be left with nothing to eat?"
Qin Qi spoke up. He felt that Old Man Xu might be the so-called saint, not caring about eating his own food but saving others at this moment.
The key is that you are not able to save people!
"Aren't these all food?"
There was no despair or waiting for death in Old Man Xu's eyes. He looked at the plants in the field with his eyes full of hope.
"Everyone has the right to eat, whether they are kings, generals, or refugees like us."
"The right to eat is something we have from birth, even though we may not have luxurious buildings or expensive money and utensils.
"But we have our own hands, the gifts of heaven and earth, and this fertile land cultivated by the master. With these, we will not starve to death!"
Although Old Man Xu is poor, he is not poor in his heart. He is content with his life. Whether he is rich or poor, he knows how to be satisfied.
Even if it is an extremely simple house, even if it is tattered clothes, even if the food is worse than plain tea and rice.
He is also satisfied with this! He will not complain about the unsatisfactory life, but will create the future with his own hands!
At this time, a young man among the refugees came over. His face was red from the cold and his body was still shaking.
"Thank you so much, old man, for saving my life!"
"If you hadn't brought me back here to keep me warm, if you hadn't given me a bite to eat, I would have already turned into the cold moon outside!
This person spoke in an elegant manner and looked like a scholar. After asking, I learned that he was a disciple of Confucianism.
It was then that Han went to Qin, hoping to persuade the King of Qin to stop the war and treat the world and Han with benevolence.
But he encountered a snowstorm on the way and almost froze to death outside. It was Old Man Xu who picked him up and saved his life.
"If you want to thank me, then when you're well again, help us collect some firewood outside."
"By the way, I see you look like a scholar. If possible, please write a letter for those people."
"This way they can have more hope in their hearts."
Old Man Xu didn't say thank you. He did save the man, and he didn't expect anything in return. But if good deeds don't bring good rewards, who would do good deeds in the future?
If you put in the effort, you will get something in return. This is the simple idea of old man Xu. Similarly, what he asked the Confucian scholars to do is not difficult.
Collecting branches is to keep people around you warm, and writing letters is to bring more hope to those people's hearts.
These are things that Confucian scholars can do.
"Yes, old man, you can leave these to me."
Although the Confucian scholar was a little pedantic, he had a good heart. After hearing what Old Man Xu said, he immediately thought of helping.
"What's your name, young man?"
Old man Xu asked.
"My name is Chen Xiang."
Chen Xiang spoke.
Everyone started to get busy, Qin Qi also helped treat those who were frostbitten and sick, and everyone started to eat at noon.
"Chen Xiang, why did you fall on the road?"
"I originally wanted to go to Qin to persuade the King of Qin to give up his plan to attack Han, but a sudden heavy snowfall on the way made me lose my way."
"Thanks to the old man, otherwise I would have died on the road."
When Chen Xiang said this, he thanked Old Man Xu again and really wanted to bow down to express his gratitude, but was stopped by Old Man Xu.
"War is certainly bad, but I think it doesn't matter who wins or loses, or who fights who."
"It doesn't matter who will rule the world in the end. Since ancient times, the royal city has been replaced by others for countless generations, and the people of the world still live the same life."
"Whether it's a country or a king, it's all the same. No matter who it is, they should ensure that the people have enough to eat."
"As long as everyone has enough to eat, then the fighting will be reduced a lot. Maybe it won't stop, but it will definitely get better!"
Old Man Xu believes that everyone should have enough to eat. This is what a king should do, and no matter who is in power, this should be their goal!
"Old sir, how can you say that I have no father, no mother, no king, and no country? I thank you for your kindness, but I cannot agree with what you said."
"The principles of the monarch and his subjects, the great principles of the state, how can they be indifferent? If we allow the tyrannical Qin to rule us."
"How can we have a happy life then? We have all lost our country and our families! We have nowhere to live and nothing to eat!"
Chen Xiang still adheres to the old Confucian way of thinking: the king and the country are the most important, and one can even sacrifice his life for the king and the country.
Qin Qi couldn't help shaking his head after hearing this. There was a person who was restricted by so-called benevolence, righteousness, and morality. He didn't have the heart of a saint, but wanted to imitate the actions of a saint.
In the end, we can only waste our lives in vain but cannot gain true peace. Alas, as long as saints live, thieves will not stop.
Everyone wants the title of a saint and imitates their behavior, but what is the final result? Confucianism is good, but after Confucius' death, Confucian disciples went astray.
People no longer focus on the inner self, but begin to emphasize external reputation and behavior. In fact, a benevolent and righteous heart is the most important.
"no
Yes, any place in the world can be lived in, as long as we are still standing on the earth.
"As long as we can move, any place can be our country, any place can be our home."
"In ancient times, there were no cities or countries like today, and even people didn't have fixed residences."
"Everything we have today was built by us brick by brick, bit by bit. What matters is not the place, but the people."
"In ancient times, a king was not a position, but a duty. He was the smartest, bravest, and most powerful person among a group of people."
"When he gained power, he also gained responsibilities. He was responsible for leading his people to survive and live a life of plenty.
"When he dies, there will be another person who will stand up, and a third person who will stand up. King is not a title, not a position, but a spirit!"
"A spirit that unites everyone and gives strength to everyone!"
Old Man Xu acknowledges the existence of the king, but does not think that people should die for the king. Whether they are common people or kings, everyone is trying hard to live.
"So what you said, that the king should farm like you? We Confucians don't serve the country and display our talents."
"Should we all roll up our sleeves, take off our crowns, abandon our sage teachings, and work the fields?"
Chen Xiang felt that Old Man Xu's theories were really heretical. If everyone went to farm, who would manage the country?
The moral principles between ruler and subject are gone, the country is gone, the family is gone, what is the use of only the land?!
"No, I, I...I didn't mean that. I meant that everyone..."
Old Man Xu was an honest man. He was not good at debating and didn't know how to refute Chen Xiang. He could only explain anxiously.
"The old man's meaning is completely different from what you understand. What my cousin said is that everyone should work hard to get rewards.
"Just like seeds need to be planted to grow plants, but different seeds need to be planted in different ways and will produce different fruits."
Qin Qi then spoke to Old Man Xu to explain:
"Just like people, some are strong and can do jobs that require strength, while others are smart and can do jobs that require intelligence."
"The old man is good at farming, so what he paid for was his hard work and sweat. Are you a Confucian disciple and a man?"
"You can go outside and help collect firewood and use your knowledge to soothe the uneasy hearts of the people."
(Li's Good) "The same is true for a country. The work a king needs to do is to govern the world. If he cannot make the people of the world live a good life, then he is unqualified.
"He has no right to sit in this position, eat those luxurious foods, or enjoy the rights given to him by the people."
"The same goes for ministers. If they can't help the king govern the country better, then they have no right to enjoy everything that power brings."
"He who does not work shall not eat, and there are many kinds of labor. Confucius' labor was to persuade people to be good, while Lao Tzu's labor was to relieve people from their difficulties.
"Mozi's work was in the art of machinery, while Bian Que's work was in saving the world. Everyone's contribution is different, and their rewards are also different."
"Can you understand, kid?"
Qin Qi looked at Old Man Xu. He thought this old man was very interesting, even though he kept saying that he was not from a farming family.
But every word and action is based on the agricultural doctrine that those who do not work shall not eat, and everyone should work in their own way.
It's very familiar, right? The communist party we are familiar with is like this.
After hearing what Qin Qi said, Chen Xiang fell silent. He felt that what Qin Qi said made sense. The king's duty was to govern the world.
If he can't make the people of the world happy, is there any need to protect him? Is the current King of Han a qualified king?
Chen Xiang had the answer in his mind, but he was still unwilling to admit that this was completely different from the Confucianism he had learned.
Old Man Xu looked at Qin Qi with gratitude, but was also a little surprised that the other party completely understood what he meant after just listening to him once.
He felt that Qin Qi was worthy of being called a teacher. He was so smart and completely different from him, a stupid farmer.
Many people may not be able to guess who this old man is, Xu Xing, a person with a not very outstanding name.
But he and Mencius lived in the same era. Although farmers respected Shennong as their ancestor, the recorded sage of farmers was Xu Xing.
However, there are very few works about him, so he is not as famous as Mencius. If you don't study him, you will basically not know him.