Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 72: Jie Min is in danger of losing his life and has no intention of fighting for fame

Cheng Heng's words left Liu Jiaoan speechless and she stood there.

My father once promised his deceased wife that he would take good care of their only child, and he also promised me a life of peace and happiness - but time has changed everything.

"The Liu family also suffered injustice in the early years. My father and his family swore an oath in the ancestral hall long ago that as officials, we must not take human lives lightly, as businessmen, we must not pursue profit, as students, we must not waste time, and as people, we must not do evil."

"Even the women in the family dare not forget a single word of these four sentences." Liu Jiaoan finally got her mind around what happened to her mother and herself, and still believed that her father could still guarantee the last few bottom lines. "Except for the matter of getting married, my father has always kept his promise."

"Isn't it ridiculous that I have to rely on a promise to prove my innocence to my own family?"

"In the Legend of the White Snake, they made a vow to the two stars; in Baihua Mountain, they made a double sword alliance under the moon." Cheng Heng did not think that such a vow under the moon and flowers had any value. "The stage has already made such people very clear. Maybe you have not read these stories, so you can't see through them."

Liu Jiaoan is very smart. Guan Yin knew this, but Cheng Heng could only get a glimpse of it from Guan Yin's words - he might not have looked at girls of this era with tinted glasses, but he had to admit in his heart that he thought their vision was only in this world.

"When there was a flood or drought, if the government's granary could not be opened, my father would take out the surplus grain from home... and saved so many refugees from suffering." The best way to explain what a person really thinks is never through words. Simply giving a few of the most real examples is more convincing.

So Liu Jiaoan did not continue to argue with Cheng Heng, but just told him what her father had done: "Although my father was unkind to the servants, he never delayed paying the wages, and never deducted them for various reasons."

“This was originally…”

Guan Yin realized that if they continued like this, neither of them would get the answer they wanted, and it would hurt their relationship for nothing. Cheng Heng's subsequent investigation would naturally be biased, which would not benefit anyone: "Okay, let's not talk about this for now."

"It's already a rare achievement for a person to do what he should do in his position."

In any era, being able to stick to one's duty is a rare and precious thing. People always demand too much from others, but when it comes to themselves, they will emphasize their own difficulties and helplessness countless times.

After calming down, Cheng Heng also realized his own aggressiveness. He cast a grateful look at Guan Yin, then stood quietly aside, waiting for the latter to analyze the words in the letter.

With just one look, Guan Yin knew that Cheng Heng hoped that he would quickly return to the topic to cover up his embarrassment. "I still understand that this so-called danger must be aimed at Yin Yunshan who is going to Beijing to take the exam. Cheng Heng will not encounter any problems except for bandits and people with ulterior motives when he takes the exam as Mr. Cheng."

"But the purpose of your visit is to deal with what happened back then. Jiao An and I are here, so we dare not alert the enemy."

Without sufficient preparation, the last thing Guan Yin and Cheng Heng could do was to expose themselves. To put it nicely, it was "luring the snake out of its hole", but to put it bluntly, it was "a moth flying into a flame and destroying itself".

"If there is a more reliable way, don't bet everything on one thing." Guan Yin summed it up, his eyes fell on the writing brush specially prepared for Cheng Heng to take the exam, and he sighed in his heart, "I don't ask you to do well in the exam this time, but you must ensure your own safety."

Cheng Heng knew how capable he was, and he also understood Guan Yin's intention. He just went to the capital, so he could naturally make a few good friends, and then... it would be easier to investigate something.

"If I remember correctly, Miss Ling Xiao's lover is also in the same department?" Cheng Heng still wanted to help the girl selfishly, even though he knew that the only way to really succeed was to pull oneself out of the quagmire. "If I see that person, I will pay attention to him."

"Okay." Although Cheng Heng sometimes sounds poisonous, tough and cruel, he is actually very delicate inside, otherwise Guan Yin would not have specifically said to him "a moth flying into a flame".

They had to go, and all Guan Yin and Liu Jiaoan could do was to give repeated reminders. Then the two groups of people split into two groups, one going to the capital to look for clues about why Guan's father was demoted back to his hometown, while the other stayed in Guan's father's hometown to observe any unusual movements.

"This journey is risky, but this journey will succeed."

"Okay." Cheng Heng didn't expect that Liu Jiaoan could calm down so quickly from the quarrel between the two of them. He originally thought that the latter was still a younger sister compared to the two of them, and hoped that Guan Yin would be able to comfort her after he left. Now it seemed that he was the one who was making trouble unreasonably.

Liu Jiaoan is very smart and seems to be able to see through everyone's heart.

So when Cheng Heng felt a little guilty, Liu Jiaoan said calmly before he could make the next move: "You are right, but I believe in my father. He may not be a good father or a good husband, but he has not devoted himself to his work over the years, and he does not treat human life as worthless."

This time Cheng Heng didn't say anything to oppose him.

He doesn't even know what kind of person he will become in the future. Can he rely solely on the sages whose names have been recorded in the history books in the ancient scrolls of Huizhou to prove that everyone can serve the world and the people and put the country before his family?

"Okay, I hope this matter has nothing to do with your father." Liu Jiaoan's first half of her life was not rough, but it was not perfect either. Even in the eyes of Guan Yin and Cheng Heng, there was an indescribable loneliness and desolation.

It's like being forced onto a pedestal. When you look down, there's a bottomless abyss; when you look straight ahead, there's no one to stand shoulder to shoulder with; when you raise your head... you realize you're also very far away from the sky.

So Cheng Heng couldn't explain clearly whether he wanted the Liu family to be involved in this matter.

She is the only remaining relative besides her sworn brotherhood, and also a lifelong shackle. Cheng Heng doesn't know which one is more important in Liu Jiaoan's eyes, and Guan Yin doesn't know either.

Three days passed since the moon and stars rose and set. Guan Yin did not respond to the letter, and the owner of the letter did not send any new news. Everything was like a small stone hitting an abyss. After a brief excitement, everything disappeared, as if not even a trace was left.

"Did you leave anything behind?"

"Look at this brush. You said you wanted to try it yesterday, but you almost dropped it, didn't you? What's the difference between you and going to the battlefield without a gun? When you arrived in the capital, you couldn't tell the difference between wolf-hair brush, sheep-hair brush, and mixed-hair brush. Do you have to buy a bunch of brushes and try them one by one to find the one that works best for you?"

"I don't know if you were taking the exam alone..."

"Puchi." Cheng Heng laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Guan Yin was not angry at first, but Cheng Heng's smile made Guan Yin angry. "Don't you know how to take your own things with you? How dare you laugh now?"

But after saying this, Guan Yin realized what Cheng Heng was laughing at.

"I don't think you're a teacher."

Cheng Heng originally thought that he would be able to witness a teacher's unique daily life, but he discovered that teachers are also ordinary people, and their lifestyles are no different from those of normal people. From childhood to adulthood, Cheng Heng would always feel dazed when he saw his teachers, and would always feel that his Chinese teacher would speak in such an eloquent manner.

Just like when he knew that Guan Yin was a history teacher, he always thought that the latter would be elegant, calm, and as profound as history, and could make people respect her existence. But Guan Yin was obviously not, she was just an ordinary person.

Except for just now, when he was anxious about Cheng Heng, he blurted out those common words in class.

"The teacher himself is also an ordinary person, just like you actors, aren't you also ordinary people?" Guan Yin shrugged, without any sense of oppression. "You are not born with the ability to play another person well, and you are not born with the ability to do somersaults. Everyone has achieved who they are today through their own hard work."

"Yeah." Cheng Heng now felt that Guan Yin was like a teacher, and everything he said was life philosophy.

Instead of saying goodbye reluctantly, it is better to set off early. The three people knew that this journey was difficult, but they had no intention of repeating the difficulty of this road over and over again. So Cheng Heng's departure was like Liu Jiaoan taking embroidery to the market to sell, just like Cheng Heng kicked the two people out and closed himself off to write, without any extra "take care".

"In fact, I also want to say a few words, to help the people and to carry on the aspirations of the ancients, but it sounds like the words of the characters in those novels before they die: 'This mission is over, I'm going to do nothing else'... It feels like I'm going to die very quickly."

Before leaving, Cheng Heng saw Guan Yin sitting at the desk, wanting to put pen to paper several times, but finally hesitating whether to see him off or not. He decided to speak and say a few words to his only true "fellow traveler" in this world, giving himself more confidence to move forward in the unknown of this journey.

"I'll write to you often when I'm free, so don't worry... maybe that man is really faithful to him."

The sky is clear for thousands of miles, with no clouds or wind. The earthy smell from the ground is baked in and enters the mouth and nose, bringing with it a sour feeling, making everything on this land imprinted in people's hearts.

Guan Yin still had to go to class, and Liu Jiaoan had also gone to the market, so no one came to see Cheng Heng off.

Guan Yin was still teaching as Cheng Jianwei, so there were two Cheng Jianweis in the world at the same time.

Or in other words, there are three "Cheng Jianwei".

Guan Yin picked up the pen and put it down again, then put it back on the pen holder beside him. An idea suddenly popped up in his mind: wait until Cheng Heng is admitted to high school, or when the group of people who blocked "Yin Yunshan" found out that Cheng Heng was not the person they were looking for, and then pass the news back to the instigator.

The parents of the students in front of him would definitely know that he is not Cheng Jianwei.

How could a teacher who came from a teaching school teach their children well? Even when they were teaching themselves, many parents would still criticize the teacher's academic qualifications.

In the past, a teacher who graduated from a normal university in any province was considered a good teacher. But now, graduate students who graduated from 985 or 211 universities have to fight hard to become teachers. Guan Yin does not feel inferior, but he dare not bet on what his students' parents will think.

"You..." Do you think what the teacher said is clear enough?

This question was so abrupt that Guan Yin was at a loss to ask it.

"Sir, what can I do for you?"

"nothing."

"you……"

"Sir?" The students who were closer heard Guan Yin's mumbling again.

If this goes on, I will feel sorry for these students. Because his worries affect the students' studies, Guan Yin does not think that this is the duty of a teacher - of course, we are all ordinary people, and we are human beings if we have our own emotions.

But it’s different when you’re sitting in a private school or on campus. You’re still an ordinary person, but as a teacher, you have to be responsible for the students’ present and future.

"Is there anything you don't understand recently? Don't be embarrassed to ask me."

Guan Yin finally said it out loud. The self-reflection just now made Guan Yin realize that his hesitation at this moment was unfair to the students in front of him and he was not fulfilling his duty as a teacher.

"If there is anything I haven't explained clearly, you can ask me."

“Never think that the teacher is infallible, and don’t think that there are no mistakes in the words in the book.” This is a modern idea, otherwise “sages” would be regarded as the standard. Guan Yin’s words could be considered rebellious, but as a teacher, she still had to say it out.

He said it without considering any consequences.

The students were obviously stunned for a moment, but finally nodded in confusion: "Yes, sir."

What the teacher said is right. Even if the teacher said that it is okay to question oneself, it may be reasonable. Cheng Jianwei has never taught this group of students in a rigid way. The children can see Guan Yin's sincerity in treating every student.

Just like the teacher who treated Cheng Heng badly at the beginning, no matter how well he pretended, he would eventually be seen as evasive by the students who were admitted to the university and returned to school. Just like Guan Yin can still remember the earnest teachings of each teacher.

Even going back to teach was not Guan Yin’s motivation. Seeing those people and becoming the successor of those teachers was Guan Yin’s most solid motivation.

"Sir, I want to ask you something here... You talked about this not long ago, but it was a little different from what you just said."

"When culture prevails over substance, the person is barbaric; when substance prevails over culture, the person becomes pedantic; only when culture and substance are in harmony can one be called a gentleman."

"Are you talking about this sentence?" The Analects of Confucius was not memorized in its entirety in those days. It was already good enough that Guan Yin could explain it clearly. How could he know how Cheng Jianwei explained it?

"Teacher said before that this is a person's character, but today he said that this is also the principle of writing articles...but in the end he said "gentleman" again."

It turned out that they were here to question him. Guan Yin was actually very pleased that these students dared to ask.

They need to walk their own path in the future instead of just following books.

"Draw inferences about other situations from one example. This is also used in the writings of other ancient sages." This question had appeared on his mock test paper that year, so Guan Yin was very familiar with it, so he can talk about it clearly now.