Self-struggle starting from Douluo

Shanghe Village is a very ordinary village.

The origin of the name is simple, there is a river passing by the village.

Since there is Shanghe Village, there must naturally be Xiahe Village...the next village that the river passes through is called Xiahe Village!
Shanghe Village is located near mountains and water, with a river on one side and mountains on the other. The mountains are covered with lush trees and the river is rich in fish and shrimp. It is a beautiful place with mountains and water.

However, this does not affect the poverty of Shanghe Village!

As the saying goes, "live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water." Logically speaking, Shanghe Village has mountains and water, so life should be good there.

However, the result was not so. The villagers of Shanghe Village were very poor... Maybe it’s not quite accurate to call them villagers, they should be called tenants!

Yes, Shanghe Village has an owner!

Not only the land in the village, but even the river and mountains beside the village all have owners!

The entire Shanghe Village is actually the farm of a wealthy family. As for who this wealthy family is, no one knows except the head of the village.

All the villagers in Shanghe Village are actually tenants of this wealthy family, making a living by renting and farming the land.

Except for a small portion, all the harvest from the fields must be handed over to the owner.

The same is true for the fish caught in the river and the animals hunted in the mountains.

The master is kind, so I can keep more and have enough food and clothing.

If the master is unkind, it is common for the people to suffer from hunger and cold.

Unfortunately, except for Zhuangtou's family, everyone else in Shanghe Village lived in hunger and cold, and people died of starvation and freezing every year.

But what this world lacks the least is people.

……

Originally everyone thought that life like this would continue forever.

However, the arrival of an old man changed everything.

The old man was wearing a long gown that was bleached from washing, with messy gray beard and hair. He looked like a poor old man who had accidentally walked here.

The village head didn't notice anything wrong with this kind of person. He continued to act as usual without any restraint, even though he knew that the old man was asking the villagers about the situation in the village.

Then the next day, the village head was captured by several vicious men and his head was chopped off in front of everyone.

Zhuangtou's family was also expelled from the village, and it is unclear what happened to them afterwards.

Anyway, everyone remembers the miserable sight of the village head woman, who was known for her brutality, being dragged out, pissing and shitting and wailing.

After that, the village’s rent was reduced by 20%, and even the nearby mountains and rivers were opened to everyone.

So the old man became the most respected person in the village.

……

The old man was very kind to everyone, and there was no sign of the ruthlessness he had when he chopped off the head of the village chief. After he had lived in the village for a month, although the adults were still a little timid, the children were already willing to be close to him.

The old man often fished by the river while reading a book. When he felt excited, he would recite a few sentences and then grab the children and ask them if they understood what it meant.

How could these children who had never read a book understand?
The old man began to explain patiently - the children just wanted to wait for the fish to be caught and get one or two, who would want to listen to these difficult words?
So the number of children around him gradually decreased, and in the end there was only a thin boy of six or seven years old who was still willing to watch over the old man while he was fishing.

On this day, the old master recited: "The Master said: To learn and to practice what one has learned, is it not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar, is it not a pleasure? To not be angry when people do not know one, is it not a gentleman's behavior?"

Then he turned around and asked the thin boy squatting next to him, "Do you understand what this means?"

The boy thought for a moment and said, "Should we show off the skills we have learned?"

The old man was a little surprised, and then he really looked at the boy.

The boy was very thin, as if he would fall down at the slightest wind. There was no flesh on his cheeks, and his protruding eyes were exceptionally large.

But because of this, the old man also saw clearly that the boy's eyes were very clear, as clear as a baby's!
"What's your name?" The old man looked him in the eye and asked.

The boy said, "My name is Gou Wa." The old man did not show any disdain, and said seriously, "What this sentence means is that it is a very happy thing to put the knowledge you have learned into practice at the right time!

Even if I don’t have the opportunity to practice, I would be happy if like-minded people came to communicate with me.

Even if I don’t have like-minded friends and others don’t know that I have such ability, I will not be angry, because I have the knowledge and the confidence to face any situation. Such a person can be called a gentleman!
The purpose of learning is to use it... Do you understand?"

Gou Wa tilted his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, "I understand!"

The old man asked, "What do you understand?"

Gou Wa slapped his knee and said, "People in the village often say that some scholars are concerned about the country and the people, loyal to the emperor and patriotic... but it's all nonsense!

In fact, they are all putting into practice the skills they have learned!

Once you have learned a skill, you must use it. The emperor gave me the opportunity to practice it, so I am willing to work for him...

If the emperor does not give me the opportunity to practice, who cares who the emperor is? Whoever allows me to "apply what I have learned" will be the emperor! "

The old man trembled all over, his eyes flashed a sharp look, and he stared at Gou Wa.

Gou Wa, however, looked calm and seemed happy that he had figured out the matter.

After a while, the sharpness in the old master's eyes faded away. He looked at Gou Wa strangely and said, "Have you forgotten the saying 'If people don't know you and you don't get angry, aren't you a gentleman?'"

Gou Wa was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said: "Oh, that's right, even if I can't use my skills, I can still be happy with them."

The old man's eyes softened: "You thought of this yourself?"

Gou Wa asked curiously, "Isn't this what you just explained?"

The old man was silent, staring at Gou Wa for a long time, and then asked, "Then do you know "benevolence"?"

Gou Wa shook his head and said, "I only know about almonds. Eat the meat and plant the kernels, and more almonds will grow..."

"Hahaha……"

The old man suddenly burst into laughter, and tears came out of his eyes. He patted his thigh and seemed very happy. He laughed and said, "Benevolence, that's it. Plant benevolence and it will grow..."

Gou Wa kindly warned: "The fish will be scared away."

The old man laughed so hard that he gasped for breath and said, "Just run away! The name Gou Wa doesn't sound good. Can I give you a new one?"

Gou Wa thought for a moment and said, "But donkey eggs and the others all call like this?"

"You will be different from them from now on!"

The old master's eyes showed inexplicable joy and intimacy, and he said: "The highest ideal and ultimate pursuit of Confucianism is to realize one's own ambitions, and then there will be Zeng Dian's happiness.

In the first month of spring, when the spring clothes were ready, five or six men with hats and six or seven boys went to bathe in the Yi River, enjoy the breeze in the Wu Yu Temple, and sing on their way home...

It's really not easy for a little boy like you to understand this.

I only hope that you can make it to the end and find the pure, elegant and comfortable happiness... From now on, your name will be Qing Huan!"

"Qing Huan?"

Gou Wa muttered to himself, and became happy: "Okay, this name sounds good, I will be called Qing Huan from now on!"

The old master looked at him inexplicably and said, "Now kneel down and bow to the river."

Gou Wa, no, Qing Huan knelt down obediently and bowed towards the river.

The old master said again: "Now, you can bow to me... three times."

Qinghuan bowed three times to the old master.

The old master stroked his beard and said with a pleased smile: "From now on, you are my disciple, call me teacher!"

"Yes, teacher!" (End of this chapter)