The Sage Said

"Stop that wailing. If you disturb our honored guest's rest, just see how I deal with you."

The village head stood in the doorway, watching his foolish wife clutch their grandson as she wailed and complained. The corner of his eye twitched sharply, and the anger in his heart was almost ready to burst out.

Hearing that her husband really seemed angry, the old woman immediately stopped wailing. Wiping her tears, she walked aggrievedly into the kitchen.

"Grandpa, what honored guest?"

The little boy wiped the traces of his grandmother's tears from his shoulder, then raised his little head and asked his grandfather with a curious look.

The village head walked over to the boy and stroked his forehead, his face full of kindness and affection.

Heaven had bestowed this grandson upon their family. Clever, quick-witted, diligent, and eager to learn, he was a fine prospect for a scholar.

So no matter how poor the family was or how hard life became, he would overcome everyone's objections and send his grandson to school. He believed that one day the boy would surely pass the imperial examinations, enter officialdom, and bring glory to their ancestors.

This was not only his own hope, but the hope of their entire family.

Studying was so important. He himself had only studied for a few years and had not even become a student candidate, yet he had still managed to become village head.

His grandson was cleverer and more eager to learn than he was. As long as he succeeded in his studies, there would be no limit to what he could achieve in the future.

What did a little hardship or exhaustion matter? As long as his grandson made something of himself, their family would rise in the world and bring glory to their ancestors.

"An honored guest came to our home today, a great benefactor to our family. Be a good boy and don't offend him, all right?"

The village head cautioned him.

"I understand."

The little boy nodded solemnly.

Seeing how obedient and sensible his grandson was, the village head's heart nearly melted.

And now that the money for his grandson's tuition next year had been secured, his eyes suddenly shone with a longing for the bright future he hoped for.

He led his grandson back to the main room and told him to concentrate on his schoolwork and not disturb the honored guest in the bedroom. Then the village head left the main room and went into the kitchen.

He had a constant feeling that his foolish wife would do something foolish. Unless he kept a close eye on her, he could not put his mind at ease.

Sure enough,

The moment he entered the kitchen, he saw his foolish wife using a ladle to fish chicken out of the pot.

The village head was so furious that one Buddha was born and another ascended to heaven.

How had this foolish woman failed to improve even a little after all these years?

How could he have been so blind back then, marrying her for that little bit of beauty she had?

There was a blade hanging over the word lust. The ancients truly had not deceived him.

"What are you doing?"

the village head shouted angrily.

The old woman jumped in fright at his voice, and the wooden ladle in her hand fell into the pot.

"I... I... I just wanted to fish out a chicken leg and save it for our grandson."

The old woman explained with an aggrieved look.

"You fool! What am I supposed to say to you?"

The village head felt as though his head was about to explode. The honored guest in the bedroom had given him ten taels of silver—who knew how many hens that could buy?

Yet his shortsighted, foolish wife actually wanted to pilfer some of it. When they brought a bowl of chicken missing an arm and a leg to the table, what would the honored guest think of him?

As village head, he had always conducted himself with integrity and acted with a clear conscience. He was highly respected and admired by others.

His wife's behavior was simply smearing his face with mud.

"I... I was only doing it for our grandson." The old woman pouted, looking innocent.

"Sigh..."

The village head let out a deep sigh. He was afraid that if he kept arguing with his foolish wife, she would make him so angry he would die on the spot.

"Get out. You're not needed here. Go sweep the floor in the main room."

"Oh..."

The old woman glanced at the chicken in the pot and walked reluctantly out of the kitchen.

"He doesn't know how to dote on his own grandson, only how to take an outsider's side. I really don't know what that old man is thinking. Could that person be the child of a woman he's keeping on the side?"

The old woman muttered under her breath as she swept the floor in the main room.

"Grandma, Grandpa must have his reasons for doing this. Please don't be angry anymore."

The little boy, who was sitting on a stool reading, spoke up to comfort her.

The boy sat straight, his eyes fixed ahead. These were the rules and principles his teacher at school had taught him.

Rather than take her grandson's words to heart, the old woman felt that he was no longer close to her, and grief welled up in her at once.

"Wasn't I only doing this for your sake? Boo-hoo-hoo..."

Her sobbing was soft, but it rose and fell in pitch. The little boy's face fell and his brows knitted tightly. He could no longer concentrate on his book.

But his grandmother was his elder, and his teacher had said: for a scholar, filial piety came first; it was the foundation of one's conduct in life.

Unable to say anything to her or concentrate on his book, the little boy was so distressed he almost cried.

"What mischief are you up to now?"

The village head carried in a bowl of chicken soup. Seeing his grandson's miserable face and his wife crouching on the floor, whimpering nonstop, he immediately understood what had happened.

"N-no... nothing..."

The old woman feared her husband more than anyone else in the family. As soon as he appeared, her sobbing stopped.

The village head set the chicken soup on the table, his temples throbbing with anger. If the honored guest had not been there today, he would already have taken out a rattan cane and administered family discipline to his foolish wife.

"You're not needed here. Get out."

"Oh."

And so the old woman was driven out again by her husband.

After watching his grandmother leave with her tail between her legs, the little boy's brows relaxed at once, and he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Sure enough, without Grandpa, this family would fall apart.

"How did your lessons at school go today?"

The village head had been seething with anger, but the moment he saw his grandson studying hard, it vanished completely.

"Today the teacher taught us the Analects. I could understand it, but there are still some parts I don't understand."

The little boy looked up at the village head with his bright, wide eyes.

"The Analects..."

The village head was immediately at a loss for words. Although he had studied for a few years, decades had passed, and he had long since returned that little bit of knowledge to his teacher.

But faced with his grandson's eager, knowledge-seeking gaze, he was too embarrassed to say he did not know.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and he thought of the honored guest in the bedroom.

Judging by his clothes and bearing, the honored guest was clearly a scholar, perhaps even a master who had earned a scholarly degree.

As for disturbing him, how could it be called a disturbance between scholars? That was called an exchange of ideas.

When the village head explained his idea to his grandson, a look of interest appeared in the little boy's eyes.

Ever since beginning his elementary studies, the people he admired most were scholars who had earned degrees.

Knock, knock, knock...

A gentle yet courteous knock sounded at the door.

Gao Yunyi slowly opened his eyes. He had actually heard everything that had happened outside just now.

But he felt no distaste or anger. He only found such trivial household affairs rather interesting.

"Come in."

At Gao Yunyi's words, the door was gently pushed open, revealing a pair of bright, wide eyes.

With just one look, the little boy was captivated by Gao Yunyi.

His looks and bearing were simply like those of someone who had walked out of a book.

"Sir, this humble student greets you."

After his initial shock, the little boy cupped his hands and bowed very politely.

"What is it?" Gao Yunyi asked.

"This humble student only began his elementary studies recently. Today at school, we were taught the Analects. I am slow-witted and do not understand the meaning of several of the sage's sayings. I hope you will teach me, sir."

The little boy spoke with the utmost respect.

"Go on."

Although the boy was surprised by the handsome gentleman's cool manner, he still voiced the question on his mind.

"The sage said, 'If a gentleman is not grave, he will not inspire awe.' What does that mean?"

"A gentleman has to hit hard when he beats someone, or he won't command respect," Gao Yunyi answered without even thinking.

"Huh??? How should I understand, 'If one hears the Way in the morning, one may die content that evening'?"

The little boy stared blankly for a moment, then continued asking.

"I'll find out the way to your house in the morning and kill you that night."

"Eh??? Then how should I explain, 'What passes is perhaps like this'?"

The little boy felt dizzy. Why did what this gentleman said seem different from what his teacher at school had taught him?

"The corpse follows the current, just like my husband," Gao Yunyi said with absolute certainty.

The little boy: "..."