Self-struggle starting from Douluo

Why is self-cultivation called “self-cultivation” instead of “cultivating the mind”?
Because other people cannot see what is in a person's mind, they can only speculate and guess based on the changes in the body's reactions.

The same is true in reverse. Using the complicated form of "Book of Rites" to "control oneself" can be seen by everyone, but once the form of "Book of Rites" is abandoned, whether a person can still "control himself" depends entirely on the individual's inner consciousness!

People tend to be lazy and hate work. It's fine when there's supervision, but when there's no supervision, weak-willed people tend to deceive themselves and become decadent without realizing it.

Therefore, many Confucian scholars have spent their entire lives practicing the complicated "Book of Rites" and showing their "righteousness and sincerity" under the eyes of others, so as to "control themselves" and cultivate themselves.

Chinese clothes are worn all your life.

This is just like how celebrities always appear glamorous in front of the public, but what they are like in private ultimately depends on the celebrities’ own awareness.

The same goes for self-discipline and self-cultivation!
……

Qinghuan took off her gorgeous clothes, but in her heart she put on even more complicated and heavy "gorgeous clothes"!
In the study, Qinghuan, dressed in a plain long gown, listened attentively to Butler Hu's introduction to Zhuangzi's situation.

Butler Hu did not say who owned Shanghe Village before, nor did he say how it fell into the hands of the old man. He simply introduced the source of income for Shanghe Village.

There are 25 households in Shanghe Village and more than 1,300 acres of fertile land. After the old man came, the output of the fields increased a little. On average, the output per 100 acres is about 20 taels of silver.

After the old man reduced the rent by 20%, the villagers could get eight taels of grain for every hundred acres. However, the villagers did not sell all of their grain, and kept most of it for themselves.

Therefore, the output from the fields alone can earn about 160 taels of silver every year.

Then there is the output from the mountains and rivers. Since Lao Fuzi opened the land to the villagers, the annual output has dropped significantly.

Every autumn, Steward Hu would hire hunters to go into the mountains to hunt and collect wild animals and medicinal herbs. After deducting the hunters' fees, the total income was about five hundred taels. If a hunter was in danger, injured, or even lost his life, this number would be reduced a lot more.

The river is flowing, and the output from the river is even more unstable. Fishing is done three times a year during the spring flood, woodcutting, and winter fishing. The total annual income is less than 100 taels, which is better than nothing.

In general, Shanghe Village can bring in an income of seven hundred taels every year... The most expensive set of clothes Qinghuan wears costs one hundred and thirty taels!

After Butler Hu introduced the situation, he stood aside and stopped talking, just looking at Qinghuan silently.

The twelve-year-old boy already had an elegant and steady demeanor. He sat behind the desk with a smile on his face and clear eyes. Even with Butler Hu's experience, he had no idea what he was thinking.

The study was quiet for a while before Qing Huan spoke up, "The income is too single..."

Butler Hu was stunned: "What do you mean, Master?"

Shanghe Village can only be considered a very small farm. The annual income of many farms of powerful and wealthy families does not even reach 700 taels, and some even have to pay money out of their own pocket.

Unless it is in a sparsely populated area, a random area of ​​the farm will have tens of thousands of acres of land, and a random dig in the mountains will yield high-value outputs such as human bones, deer antlers, gems and jade, which can bring in tens of thousands of taels of income every year.

Qing Huan shook her head without explaining. She just stood up and said, "Butler Hu, ask Brother Niu Er and Brother Zhang San to get ready and accompany me up the mountain."

Niu Er and Zhang San are two of the eight guards of the old master. Qinghuan doesn't know how strong they are, but they are tall and strong. They used to be hunters and are familiar with the situation in the mountains.

Butler Hu nodded and left without asking the reason.

Qinghuan walked to the yard at the side, where the old man was lying on a recliner, with his eyes closed, strolling leisurely.

Hongmei and Lvliu, who were serving at the side, stood up and bowed slightly. Hongmei even glared at Qinghuan secretly.

Qinghuan bared her teeth, revealing a row of white teeth. Hongmei blushed and lowered her head quickly.

The old man didn't even open his eyes and asked, "Do you understand the situation in the village?"

Qing Huan stood beside the old teacher, took the fan from Lv Liu, and fanned it for the teacher, saying, "Not bad, I understand it almost."

The old man smiled and said, "So fast? Do you really understand it clearly?"

Qing Huan said aggrievedly: "Teacher, after all, I have lived in the village since I was born. I am afraid I know more about many things than Butler Hu."

The old man pointed to the gate and said, "Then tell me, who will be the next person to pass through the gate?"

Qing Huan was stunned for a moment, not understanding why: "How... should I know this?" The old man snorted and said, "After half a cup of tea, the man from Old Man Liu's house at the head of the village will pass by the door twice in a row!"

Qinghuan frowned and stared silently outside the door.

Butler Hu had already called Niu Er and Zhang San from the side yard. Just as he was about to speak, Qing Huan raised her hand to stop him.

The three of them looked at each other, then followed Qinghuan's gaze and looked outside the door.

Half a cup of tea later, a weathered and dark-skinned woman slowly walked through the gate, and after a moment, she returned from the gate again...

It was the wife of Old Man Liu.

Qing Huan frowned, thought hard for a long time, and then shook his head and said, "Teacher, I don't understand!"

After the old man came back from fishing, he sat in the yard. How did he know that Old Man Liu's wife would pass by the door twice?

The old man smiled and did not answer, but said: "Go and do your own thing first."

Qing Huan grinned and said, "Teacher clearly knows this. If I don't figure this out, how can I have the energy to do anything else?"

The old man took the fan from Qing Huan's hand, tapped him on the head, and said, "Are you so sincere?"

Qing Huan shuddered, a look of enlightenment flashed across his eyes, and he said, "Thank you, teacher. I understand!"

Being sincere and upright means focusing on doing the task at hand without being distracted by other things.

What Qinghuan has to do now is to take Niu Er and Zhang San up the mountain. If he keeps thinking about Old Man Liu's wife and distracts himself by thinking about why she passed by the door twice, then he is not being "sincere and honest"!
Qinghuan had just taken off her gorgeous clothes and almost ruined all her efforts.

The old man deliberately used the matter of Liu's wife to test Qinghuan.

Throwing the fan to Luliu in dismay, the old master said, "You are just too smart and have such a strong comprehension ability that I don't even have the chance to scold you... Confucianism advocates the principle of sticking to the middle and being consistent, and requires the master to focus on "one". Apart from what you have to do right now, everything else is just a side issue!"

Qing Huan thought for a moment and said seriously: "The world is complicated, like a tangled mess. If you can't sort it out, you will be at a loss and helpless!
Now, just two things have made me hesitate. It seems that I still have a long way to go... Thank you for your guidance!"

The old man said unhappily, "Now that you know, why don't you just get out of here?"

Qing Huan smiled and said, "Teacher, I will go do my work first."

Having said that, he winked at Niu Er and Zhang San and took them out.

After everyone left, the old man said to Butler Hu, "How come this kid is so smart and can understand things at once?"

There were complaints in his words, but his tone sounded gratifying.

Butler Hu smiled and said, "It's all because of the master's good teaching."

The old man said, "Hey!" and said, "If it were someone else, I would have smashed the fan to pieces, and they wouldn't have understood... I didn't expect to find such a treasure here!"

Butler Hu flattered him, "Master Qinghuan is indeed excellent, but without the master's guidance, no matter how beautiful the jade is, it will eventually become a piece of stone."

"makes sense!"

Butler Hu's flattery went straight to the old man's heart, making him quite pleased. He stood up and said, "I haven't listened to music for a long time. Come with me to listen to some music!"

Butler Hu's expression was greatly moved, and he almost shouted out in excitement: "Yes, Master!"

The old man said disdainfully, "Why are you shouting so loudly? Are you afraid that others won't know?"

Butler Hu was crying. He wiped his tears and said, "Master, since... that incident, you haven't listened to the song for almost ten years. You used to like it the most..."

The old man patted his shoulder and said, "Then listen to me more often in the future."

"As long as the master wants, Hu Shuo will accompany the master at any time..." (End of this chapter)