Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 438 The famous Qu Zhenbang
“So I say that it was a wise choice that you only eliminated Dong Dabiao and the old Northeast Gang this time and did not stay to eliminate the bandits.

If you get hot-headed and insist on wiping out all the gangs outside the Great Wall, Master will be worried.

Gangs were rampant outside the Great Wall, and banditry was a constant problem. The imperial court sent troops to suppress them, but to no avail.

If you led the Dingbian Army to fight east and west and really wiped out all those gangs, wouldn't that make those generals and commanders-in-chief look like useless people?

People may praise you and flatter you on the surface, but in reality they may be scolding you in their hearts."

“You know, when the birds are gone, the good bows are put away, and when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dogs are cooked.

Now that they need you, they will naturally praise you to the sky. But when you have finished all the work and wiped out all the bandit gangs, what use will you be?
If they don't punish you then, who will they punish?"

"Shaoyang, you are still young. You have been very successful in the past few years, so it is inevitable that you are arrogant and competitive.

However, the most important thing for getting along in the officialdom is to hide one's edge, to appear clumsy when actually clever, and to appear foolish when actually wise.

Being aggressive all the time is not necessarily a good thing. Only by being more tactful and worldly-wise can you be safe."

There was no outsider at home, so Liu Dongshan took the opportunity to give his apprentice earnest advice.

"Master, thanks to you for reminding me, otherwise, I would definitely fall flat on my face.

As they say, having an old person in the family is like having a treasure, and it is really true. "

Qu Shaoyang was awakened by Liu Dongshan's words. He quickly stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Dongshan respectfully.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I will keep it in mind."

While the master and the disciple were talking here, the Qu Laokouer and his wife were confused and looked puzzled.

However, Qu Laokouer now understands that Liu Dongshan is no ordinary person and he is a man of great abilities.

Therefore, Qu Laokouer did not dare to interrupt the conversation between the master and his apprentice. Even if he did not understand, he listened patiently.

Only after the conversation between the master and the disciple came to an end did Qu Laokouer speak.

"Well, Lao Si, I mentioned to you before that I wanted to go back to my hometown to worship my ancestors.

I heard that Japan has withdrawn its troops, and it is almost the twelfth lunar month.

Look, let's make some arrangements. Your mother and I can go back to our hometown, okay?" Qu Laokouer has been thinking about going back to his hometown, and it's almost become a worry for him.

"My eldest brother wrote to me two days ago, saying that the last batch of Japanese troops had withdrawn from Dalian Bay.

The imperial court sent General Song Qing to take over the defense of Lushun and Dalian.

I heard that before the Japanese army left, they destroyed all the military facilities in Luda and looted all the supplies that could be taken away and all the machines and equipment that could be dismantled and transported.

The people south of Jinzhou were displaced, their houses were destroyed by the war, and their livelihood was in tatters." Chen Xiuyun took over and said.

Hearing this, everyone in the room couldn't help but sigh. In a war, the people who suffer the most in the end are bound to be ordinary people.

"Dad, Mom, are you planning to go back to your hometown to celebrate the New Year and come back after the New Year?" Qu Shaoyang spoke, breaking the depressing atmosphere.

"Yes, yes, that's what I mean.

During the Chinese New Year, it’s a good opportunity to pay homage to your grandparents, as well as your great-grandparents.

Now that you have made it big and become a high-ranking official, you should let your grandparents know and make them happy."

Upon hearing this, Qu Laokouer hurriedly nodded in response.

"Third brother isn't at home, I'm afraid I can't get away.

That's it, I'll let Xingye bring a dozen guys to escort you back, okay?"

Before winter came, Qu Jiang took people to Yingkou, Andong and other places.

Affected by the war, last winter the Qu family’s warehouses, material warehouses, rice shops, etc. in Yingkou, Andong and other places were all closed, resulting in heavy losses.

So after learning that the Japanese army had withdrawn from southern Liaoning, Qu Jiang immediately took his men to Yingkou and other places, intending to reopen the shop.

It is estimated that Qu Jiang will not be able to come back for a while, let alone accompany his parents back to his hometown.

"Okay, okay, you decide."

Qu Laokouer doesn't want anything else now. As long as he can go back to his hometown to visit and pay homage to his ancestors, anyone can accompany him.

"That's settled then. You and my mother hurry up and pack your things. I'll arrange for someone to escort you back home in the next few days."

Qu Shaoyang nodded, and the matter was settled.

"By the way, Lao Si, you should quickly consult with Mr. Fang and give our children some names.

We are going back to worship our ancestors and we also want to edit our family tree. It is a good opportunity to record the names of Xiuyun, Lanxin, and several other children in the family."

Mr. and Mrs. Qu Laokouer have big ambitions. In addition to worshiping their ancestors, they also plan to go back and discuss with their relatives to compile a family tree.

After all, the Qu family has never produced any officials for several generations. Qu Shaoyang is already a fourth-rank official, which is definitely a glory for the family, so the family tree must be compiled.

This matter was beyond Qu Shaoyang's expectation. "Oh, OK, then I will go and discuss it with Mr. Fang."

Anyway, the children at home are all grown up and healthy, so it’s time to give them a formal name.

Qu Shaoyang asked Chen Xiuyun to prepare a generous gift, and he took it to the school to find Fang Xingwen.

The scale of the school has now expanded a lot, and the orphans of the soldiers who died in the Dingbian Army have all been arranged to study in the school.

Fortunately, Chen Yunzhe found several more students and scholars, and the teacher who originally taught Xiaozhi also came to the school to teach, so the school was able to keep busy.

"Mr. Fang, how is my son Gensuo doing in school?" Qu Shaoyang found Fang Xingwen and asked about his son's situation in school first.

"That's good. Gensuo is a smart kid who learns things quickly.

When I give a lecture, other children have to learn it several times, but he can remember it in just one time.

This child, you must train him well, he will definitely be a talented person in the future."

Speaking of Gensuo, Fang Xingwen was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth. He loved this child so much.

"Oh, my naughty boy can get such praise from the master. This is quite unexpected."

Qu Shaoyang was delighted when he heard this and saluted towards Fang Xingwen.

"Thank you very much for your training and teaching, sir. I have something else to trouble you with." After Qu Shaoyang finished speaking, he waved behind him, and his entourage immediately presented him with a generous gift.

"Hey, sir, what are you doing? If you have anything to say, just tell me. I dare not accept your gift."

Fang Xingwen was startled by the pile of gift boxes and quickly waved his hands.

"Mr. Fang, this is what happened. My son Gensuo is not a child anymore, and he has been studying with you for quite some time.

But he doesn't have a real name yet, and it's not appropriate for classmates to always call him by his nickname.

Please, Mr. Fang, take the trouble to give our children a name. " Qu Shaoyang explained his purpose with a smile.

"So that's what it is. I thought it was no big deal, and it's easy to name. I wonder what generation name Gensuo and the others used?"

Fang Xingwen breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. Coming up with a name was not a difficult task for him.

"I don't know, it seems there is no particular rule, we brothers all gave our names randomly, not in order of characters.

Sir, you can give it a name as you see fit, just make it loud and easy to pronounce. "

There are few literate people in the countryside, so why would there be so many considerations when naming something?
There are Ergou, Goudan and others everywhere, don’t they also live a lifetime?
Anyway, Qu Shaoyang had never heard his parents talk about generation names.

Fang Xingwen nodded, thought about it for a moment, then turned around and looked for a book.

I didn't know what he was planning. He muttered something to himself for a while, then wrote a few names on the paper.

"Sir, what do you think of these? Just pick the one that you like.

Once the name of the boss is decided, it will be easy to name the others according to the boss. "

Qu Shaoyang glanced at the paper and saw no less than ten names written on it, including Qu Peikai, Qu Liming, Qu Yuantang, Qu Xiuxian and so on.

Qu Shaoyang felt that the first few names were a bit difficult to pronounce. The surname Qu is not as easy to pronounce as other surnames, so it is better to be a little simpler.

"Mr. Fang, let's take this one, Qu Zhenbang. I think this one is okay. It reads smoothly and is simpler."

Qu Shaoyang took a look at it and thought it was okay. Although it was not so elegant, it was smooth to read and pleasant to listen to.

"Zhenbang, this name sounds good, but the artistic conception is a little lacking. Sir, are you sure you want to use this?"

Fang Xingwen deliberately put this name at the end just to make up the number, but he didn't expect that Qu Shaoyang would like this name.

"Not bad, not bad. It's good for the country and the nation. It's good."

Qu Shaoyang didn't think much of it. In his previous life, the people of his father's generation were all named Founding the Country, Founding the Army, and Building something like that.

A name is just a symbol. It’s best if it’s catchy and easy to remember. But don’t make it too complicated.

Qu Shaoyang felt that he was a rough man and couldn't use those elegant words, so this was good enough.

Once the name of the root lock is determined, the names of the following ones will be easy.

The second son Genyou was named Zhenye, the third son Youqing was named Zhenwu, the fourth son Genquan was named Zhenjie, and the daughter Lingdang was named Qu Jialing.

Fang Xingwen also named the two children of the Qu Jiang family. The older one was called Zhenwen and the younger one was called Zhenmin.

"Okay, now we have everything. Thank you, Mr. Fang. This is just a small thank you gift. It's not a big deal, but you must accept it."

After Qu Shaoyang finished speaking, he smiled and took the red paper with the children's names written on it and ran away.

After returning home, Qu Shaoyang announced the children's names. Qu Laokou and his wife, Chen Xiuyun and others all thought that these names were good.

From then on, the little kids in the Qu family all had their own names.

Naming the children is also a happy event, and now that Qu Shaoyang has returned safely, we must celebrate it properly.

That evening, the Qu family held a banquet, and Liu Dongshan and his wife brought Liu Xinyuan and Liu Wanyu to eat together.

Xinyuan and Wanyu were born in the 13th year of the Guangxu period, and are now ten years old.

The two children inherited the good qualities of their parents: they are tall and good-looking, and now that they have grown up, they have become more sensible and lovable.

Both of them studied in school and learned English, German, French, etc. with Zhao Guangzhi, Anders and others.

Wanyu is a girl who is very interested in medicine. After school every day, she follows Chen Xiuyun to learn some medical theory, pharmacology, etc.

Liu Dongshan and his wife had already discussed it and decided to find a way to send the two to Fengtian to study in two years.

There were seven children in the Qu family, including big and small ones, and Qu Shaoyang told them their full names one by one.

Zhenbang and Zhenwen were older and had been to school, so they knew what was going on. When they heard that they had become famous, they clapped their hands with joy.

"Great, from now on they can't call me Gensuo anymore. Tomorrow I'll tell them my name is Qu Zhenbang."

"Yes, yes, my name is Qu Zhenwen, and from now on they are not allowed to call me Gensheng." Qu Zhenwen echoed.

This child is one year younger than Zhenbang. He went to school at the beginning of this spring. The teacher said that he is doing well and can keep up.

The two older ones were arguing loudly, and the younger ones were all confused and had no idea what was going on.

But seeing their brothers happy, they also danced and shook their heads for joy.

"Alright, alright, be quiet for a while and stop making noise."

The children were making so much noise that the whole house was about to go crazy. Chen Xiuyun had no choice but to glare at them to get them to quiet down.

The children were quite well-behaved. When they saw Chen Xiuyun's cold face, they immediately stopped making noise.

At this time, the food was ready and served. Qu Shaoyang quickly asked everyone to take a seat. There was one table for adults and one table for children.

Zhenjie and Jialing are both over one year old. They can eat by themselves, but they eat dirty food, with rice grains and vegetables all over the floor.

Bai Wei and Bai Zhi were serving at the front, helping to pick up food, remove bones and fish bones, etc., but they did not feed the child. The child ate by himself with a spoon and chopsticks.

"Brother, I really envy you. You have relatives in your hometown and you can go back to visit them."

Liu Dongshan poured a glass of wine for Qu Laokouer and they drank and chatted.

"I left home when I was a teenager and haven't been back for more than 40 years. I don't even know what my hometown looks like anymore."

Liu Dongshan took a sip of wine and sighed.

"Brother, if you miss your hometown, just go back and take a look.

With my current wealth, I can go anywhere without any embarrassment. What else is there to worry about?
It’s okay for you at your age and your legs and feet are more convenient. When the weather gets warmer, take your wife and children back to your hometown to visit.

Worship your parents and ancestors, and you won’t have to worry about them anymore. Otherwise, you will be thinking about them all your life.”

Qu Laokouer had heard his son talk about Liu Dongshan. In his opinion, there was nothing to be concerned about.

If you want to go back, just go back. What are you afraid of? What's the matter? Are those relatives in your hometown capable of cannibalism?
"Yes, Master, we have made some success now, it's time to go back and take a look." Qu Shaoyang also advised.

Perhaps this is the knot in most people's hearts. No matter how well they do outside, they will feel regretful if they don't go back to their hometown.

Liu Dongshan shook his head and sighed, "I don't want to go back. My closest relatives are long gone, and the ones left are distant relatives who are not even remotely related.

If they see me, they will probably think they have seen a ghost, or even think that I am going back to fight with them for their house and land, right?"

"If you ask me, you should fight for it. It originally belonged to you. Why do they occupy it?

Even if you don't want it anymore, you have to put it out there.

"You gave it to them without any clear reason. Even your parents in the underworld would not be happy with it."

Mr. Qu's stingy nature could not be changed. Once money and property were involved, he would become calculative again.

(End of this chapter)