The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 643: Wealth and honor never come from farming

Liu Yan ignored Liu Ji and looked at his second son Liu Zhong. The father and son had just chatted for a while, but the second son Liu Zhong did not stop working. Seeing his old father chatting with his younger brother, he also helped to harvest his father's crops.

Liu Yan asked: "Liu Zhong, you also heard what your brother said. What do you think life is? What is the meaning of life?"

Liu Zhong didn't even raise his head, nor did he stop working. Sweat fell down and broke into several petals, which seeped into the soil. After a while, it was completely integrated into the earth.

Liu Zhong, who is about to turn thirty, said in a steady voice: "Life is nothing more than crops ripening dozens of times."

"The meaning of life is to grow good crops, feed the whole family and keep them warm."

"Keep your feet on the ground, cultivate a few more acres of land, and you will eventually be able to build a family business."

Liu Yan looked at Liu Ji, still calm, and said: "Liu Ji, did you hear that? It's good to have ambitions, but don't aim too high."

"The tree that hugs each other is born from the smallest grain of wood; the nine-story platform is born from tired soil."

"If you don't accumulate steps, you can't reach a thousand miles; if you don't accumulate small streams, you can't reach a river or sea."

“A gentleman hides his talents and waits for the right time to act. Only when you are down-to-earth and have your wings fully grown, will you have enough strength to fly.”

Liu Ji was not convinced and retorted: "Father, I have heard that a man cannot become rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot become fat without night grass. Can one become a marquis or a prime minister just by hard work?"

Liu Yan shook his head gently: "You, I'm afraid your future achievements will not be higher than your brother's. If you are still so impatient, let alone building a family business, it would be good if you don't squander this little family business."

Liu Ji snorted lightly and said nothing more.

Liu Yan glanced at Liu Ji, then bent down to harvest ramie again, saying, "I have an old friend whose son is now the county magistrate in Waihuang. His name is Zhang Er."

"He was once a retainer of Lord Xinling and was highly regarded. Later, he killed someone for his friend in Daliang, so he fled to Waihuang."

"I have inquired about this man. He is quite similar to the old Lord Xinling, who was courteous to the wise and humble. Since you are unwilling to work in the fields, I am sure you will not be willing to stay at home if they insist on keeping you."

"Just go out and broaden your horizons."

When Liu Ji heard this, he jumped up, ran to his father, hugged him and laughed.

"Thank you, father! Thank you, father!"

Liu Yan was almost knocked down. After he regained his balance, he warned, "You are going alone. You are not young anymore. You should take responsibility for anything."

Liu Ji smiled, nodded repeatedly, and asked nonchalantly: "Father, how about the money for this journey?"

Liu Yan continued to speak to himself: "Wei and Chu have just stopped fighting, and the relationship between them is still very tense. Although you have some sword skills, with your mediocre martial arts, you still need to be humble and careful along the way."

Liu Ji nodded repeatedly and then asked, "Son, I understand. Son, I understand. Father, what about the money?"

Liu Yan glared at Liu Ji and said, "Do your job well today."

Liu Ji chuckled and said yes repeatedly, and instantly felt motivated to work.

The next day, Liu's mother, with endless worry, prepared the clothes and money needed for Liu Ji's journey. Liu Yan also prepared a lot of wealth for him. The family was poor but the journey was rich. If one did not bring some money with him when traveling, life would be difficult.

Mother Liu naggingly told Liu Ji: "Ji'er, when you go out, you must be friendly to others, don't easily conflict with others, say more good things, and don't fight for a moment."

"Your father brought you some extra money, but be careful to spend it sparingly, or you'll go hungry. At least save enough money to go home."

"Also, don't show off your wealth. Don't flaunt your money. Be careful on this journey. If you really meet a strong man, you should give in. Don't feel sorry for your money. It's gone."

"If you're not used to being outside, come back when you should."

"You are not a child anymore, go out and try your luck. If you don't like it, come back soon. Then I will ask someone to find you a marriage partner, so that I can have another grandson sooner."

Liu Ji was gifted and intelligent since childhood, good at adapting to circumstances, and now he was in his twenties, so how could he not understand these things? He listened to his mother's nagging and nodded perfunctorily.

His heart was now filled with excitement and a hint of nervousness about going out and exploring the world, and he could not hear anything else.

What a wonderful world with great potential.

I only hang out in Peifeng County every day and only go to Xuzhou City occasionally. What future can I have?
After packing everything, Liu Ji led the donkey and set out on his journey.

Liu's mother accompanied him all the way, and no matter how Liu Ji tried to persuade her, she only stopped after accompanying him for a few miles.

Looking at her son walking further and further away, Liu's mother couldn't help sobbing softly. When he was almost out of sight, Liu Ji turned around and waved goodbye vigorously. Liu's mother hurriedly raised her arm to wipe her tears and waved vigorously.

"Ji'er! Come back early! Come back early!" Liu's mother shouted loudly, not caring whether Liu Ji could hear her or not.

But the wind must have heard it, because the mother's call was echoing in the wilderness and in the wind.

When Liu's mother returned home wiping her tears, she saw Liu Yan sitting alone in the yard. She didn't know how long he had been there.

"Sent away?"

Mother Liu nodded with red eyes.

Liu Yan let out a heavy breath and murmured, "Okay, okay, as a good man, it's time for you to go out and try your luck. Okay, okay."

"How can one achieve anything if one is confined to the neighborhood and the fields?"

"No king, no general, no noble, no rich and noble person was born from farming. My grandfather was a high official of the Wei Dynasty in the past. He built up this huge family business by traveling around and studying, working hard, and not fearing hardships and having great wisdom and courage."

Mother Liu blushed and said, "My ancestors went through countless life and death experiences. It can be said that they survived many deaths before they gained wealth and honor. How can wealth and honor be so easy to obtain? How can you be rich without risking your life?"

"The grace of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations. The wealth and honor left by the ancestors will eventually be gone. Why let the children risk their lives? Isn't it good to live a peaceful life? The world is so chaotic. If you are not careful,..."

As Liu's mother spoke, she was about to cry again.

Liu Yan sighed and consoled him, "You also said that the world is in such a mess. If you can't make a name for yourself, it would be a luxury to live in peace."

"My grandfather's legacy has been passed down to my generation, and only one tenth of it remains. If we can't turn the family's decline around, we can't even imagine how our grandchildren will live, and we don't even know how long the family line can last."

Liu Yan sighed and said in a deep voice: "The eldest died young, the second was a simple and down-to-earth person, and the fourth studied under Confucianism, but I don't know what he can learn."

"Only the third child has been bold and careful since childhood, open-minded and cheerful, generous and kind to others, and capable of adapting to changing circumstances. If we are to make a career, we can only rely on the third child."

Liu Yan was both relieved and helpless: "People like the third child will never be willing to live a mediocre life. You want him to live a peaceful life. Does the third child want to do that? The child has grown up and naturally has his own thoughts. You can't control him."

Mother Liu started to cry again and wiped her tears with a handkerchief: "Whatever you say, if Ji'er gets into trouble, I will never forgive you!"

Liu Yan shook his head helplessly and advised: "Okay, okay, you are tired all the way, go back to the house and rest first."

Liu's mother returned to her room sobbing. The fourth son Liu Jiao was not hers, and the eldest son died early. She only had two sons, Liu Zhong and Liu Ji. If Liu Ji really had another accident, she would definitely not be able to bear it.

Liu Yan looked far away toward the horizon, his eyes filled with worry.

'Son, son, son.'

The war has just ended, but it is only a temporary stop. The world is in chaos, and it is not easy to travel. What's more, everything depends on Liu Ji alone. As a father, how can I not worry about it?
At this moment, there was a sudden strong wind in the sky, and clouds surged in all directions. The blue sky was soon covered by dark clouds. The thick dark clouds blocked the sunlight. The heavy black clouds rolled and collided in the sky, with lightning and thunder flashing in the air. Soon, it was raining heavily.

Liu Yan was shocked. As a farmer, he naturally knew a little about the weather. It was obviously not supposed to rain in the past two days, otherwise he would not have let Liu Ji set out today.

But now the heaven and earth are displaying their divine power, making people dare not look up. This is too sudden and too abnormal.

Liu Yan groaned in his heart and really wanted Liu Ji to come back quickly. In such a strong wind and rain, if one of them caught a cold by accident, it would be a disaster. This was really a bad start.

Liu Yan was guarding under the eaves of the door, but the eaves could not block such strong wind and rain. The rain soaked Liu Yan's whole body, but he still looked into the distance.

Liu's mother was even more frightened. Looking at the heavy rain outside, her tears also flowed like a waterfall.

Liu Ji certainly didn’t know that his parents were worried about him. Even if he knew, he might not be able to understand it now.

He was not even drenched by the heavy rain.

Soon after he set out, he met a caravan heading from Qi to Qin. He happened to be heading west on his way to Waihuang. The owner of the caravan was a world-famous hero and one of the most kind-hearted people. He saw Liu Ji and his donkey from a distance in the car.

This man was well versed in physiognomy. He could tell at first sight that although Liu Ji was dressed simply, he had an extraordinary bearing, so he immediately ordered his driver to catch up with him.

The owner of the car opened the window and said with a warm smile, "Wait a minute, my friend in front, are you also heading west? If so, why don't we go together so that we can look after each other on the way."

The owner of this convoy is none other than Zhu Jia, the master of Shennong Hall of the Nong family. He is one of the most outstanding figures in the Nong family in terms of character and cultivation, and a strong contender for the next knight leader of the Nong family.

He was also the Agricultural Supervisor of the Qin Dynasty, responsible for supervising, managing and guiding the cultivation of the Qin Dynasty's official fields.

The Zhu family is usually very busy with affairs, and this time it was Tian Guang who gave the order himself to go to Qi State to pick up someone from the old branch of the Tian family in Qi State. This matter must be foolproof, so Zhu Jia, who is the best expert in the farming family, was asked to go there personally.

(End of this chapter)