Chapter 121 To all my brothers: Telling about the reasons for helping relatives and clansmen

【original】 Around the sixth and ninth brothers: From May to December last year, a total of seven or eight letters were sent. After my brother arrived in Beijing, the family only checked out twice, one on May 22, one on October 16, and the rest I can't see it all, and it's hard to get it from afar. It's often like this. If you believe in the words on the lake in the twelfth lunar month, you can't stop believing. The more eager you are, the more eager you are to look forward to, the more severe your responsibility will be. Days are like years, and the wall in the middle of the room is surrounded by walls. Hope for good news is like a prize of ten thousand gold, and hearing rumors is like the sound of wind and cranes. Those who don't complain and talk to each other ① are extremely affectionate. However, if you look at these two characters as a brother, even if you understand his affection, you can't blame him. What a must!

As for returning to the ocean and returning to the south, I really don’t know. When I get home, the door is like a city, and all the affairs are complicated. My brother can imagine. Brother means that after receiving the list at home, a letter will be sent. You can rest assured about everything, how can there be any suspense?The debate in the letter is detailed, and the brother's order is not to be debated again. Although the hearts of each other are thousands of miles apart, Chicheng is as good as what he can see with his eyes. There is no doubt at all.In future letters, there is absolutely no need to mention Keye.

The two pieces of silver sent were four hundred as a gift to the Qi family. The letter said: "There must be something that has not been examined and measured, that is, there seems to be a little closeness to the name." The introspective person also said: "If you know that you are poor, you can do it if you get me. If you know your family, you must not be generous for this, but just say it." Although brother is unworthy, how can he be so despicable and good?Therefore, for this reason, Gai Clan Qiduan must have a helping hand, and the rest will be involved. My brother has been to my natal home in the year of the Hai, and I saw my uncle Tao living in a cave, growing vegetables and eating, and I have been compassionate for a long time!Uncle Tong Shi sent me off and said: "If Wai Xun is a foreign official, uncle will be the fireman." Uncle Nan Wu sent him to Changsha to shake hands and said, "Send Wai Xun's daughter-in-law to Beijing next year." Yu said: "The capital is suffering, Don’t come, Uncle.” Uncle said: “Of course, but I will eventually find you a place to work.” The words were already sobbing, and my brothers and mothers and uncles were all old, and the situation of hunger and cold can be imagined, but the tenth uncle is dead, and it is not now. With a helping hand, the eldest uncle and the fifth uncle can touch the rest of our generation and moisten the head. Although the tenth uncle is dead, the elder brother should still be sympathetic to his wife, and follow the common practice to prolong the monk, just like the so-called dojo, to comfort the soul of the deceased, And as much as I can't bear to kill his uncle, does my brother think it's okay?Sister Lan and Sister Hui have poor family fortunes; my brother is just a little bit of nonsense, saying that my sister can still support me, and sister Hui will not be able to recommend herself to live in a few years. My fellow sisters, even if they have no hope, I can. Don't you treat them like a family?

Mr. Ouyang Cangming has a lot of long-standing debts, and the hardship of his family is not comparable to that of our family. Therefore, when his mother died, he could not lower the ceremonies slightly. Feng, then still inquired about the secular world. Uncle Chu Shan was persecuted by his creditors and had no way to enter the land. The second aunt wept for Yu and told Zi Zhi: "Ba'er came to cry at night and poured tears on the ground. The wet circle is five feet in diameter. Also, the price of farm goods in my house is not high, and things are troublesome, so I often send letters to me to prepare for Chen Tunsheng's position." This son Zhi saw it with his own relatives, and his brothers have always loved it for a long time!

Uncle Dange and Cousin Baotian used to sit with their classmates for ten years, but today they are separated by clouds and mud. Knowing that when they are in distress and embarrassment, there must be people who drink and hate their fate. In the year of 1898, Dange once said Qian Baqian congratulates me, my virtuous brother forgives his situation, how easy is it to be the leader of the eight thousand?I thought I was extremely happy, but I can feel it!If you think it's bait, it's pitiful!When Uncle Ren Zun saw that I was awarded an official, it was conceivable that his joy was out of sincerity. Sun Deguan, the first thing is to go back to Jingxi Gongxiang." This language is already familiar, and the uncles dare not know each other. They are both the heirs of Jingxigong, but the difference between Wanku ③ is so different, let's assume that the creator If you move the garden to the second room in a day, it doesn't matter if it's six hundred, that is, six taels, can you get it?

The Yue family of the sixth younger brother and the ninth younger brother are all widows and orphans, starving and helpless.My family is eight taels young, so it may not be forced by the debtors quickly. If he gets eight taels, he will bring his family back to life. My virtuous brother tried to put himself in the same place, and knew that it was like saving fire and water. Aunt Peng treated me very well. She was poor in her old age and she cried when she saw me , Since Wang Aunt has died, so I gave it to Aunt Yiren Wang, and I can't bear to look down on Aunt Wang with death. The son of Teng Qize Aunt, who grew up with me, grew up with my uncles, so I can't bear the love of my grandmother. Uncle Peng’s great-grandfather, who extended his grandfather’s love, and Mr. Chen Benqi and Deng Shengliuer, who were given by Ji Lian because of Master Jue’an. Because of people, don't you dare to deliberately curry favor, to catch fame, and dare to use your own boldness to imitate your grandfather's stinginess, is it a despicable act for this reason?

My brothers and sisters, ten years later, I saw that all the families of the Qi family were poor, but my family was still good. I thought that my duty was so good, but I didn't know that at the beginning, they were all as prosperous as me. Brother, I saw the scene of its prosperity, but today it is scattered. If this is the case, it is too embarrassing. The weather depends on the ups and downs. If the weather is prosperous, you will be happy even if you are hungry. Let's assume that the younger brother is in the five lands of Chu Shankuan, or in the land of the two families of Ge Xiong, can the younger brother be at ease for a day?

Where there is abundance, misery, and misfortune, there are countless of them. Although a sage cannot claim it on his own, God can make me live in a state of abundance today.When a gentleman is in good times, he often feels that he is thicker than me, not because he is thicker. He thinks that he is more stingy than me, but I am already thick. The ancients said that the situation must be regarded as inferior to me. This is what I mean. There are only four characters in the book, so don't you know that the sky is thicker than my brother? History tastes the way of "Yi" and observes the principle of news of surplus and deficiency, and knows that people cannot be without flaws. The sun is in the middle of the day, the moon is full and the loss is, the sky is lonely and empty, and the earth is in the southeast. , The one who peels off, the chance of recovery, the gentleman thinks it is gratifying!Also (female on the left and rear on the right) ⑤, gradually, the gentleman thinks it is dangerous!That's why Ji Yichuan!From miserliness to viciousness, from evil to auspiciousness, from remorse to auspiciousness. A gentleman knows that there are regrets, and those who repent, so they guard their shortcomings and dare not seek perfection. A villain always seeks perfection. Miserliness and fierceness follow. Many people are always lacking, but one person is always full. Because of the flexion and extension of the law of heaven, isn't it unfair?

Today, my family, Chunxuan, is in Chongqing, my brother has no reason, the capital is incomparably beautiful, and I can be said to be the most perfect.The old brother only seeks for defects, and the name of the place where he lives is called Que Zhai. Seeking for lack is in other things, but seeking perfection in the hall. What is needed cannot be given all at once, but also the meaning of looking for defects. The wife does not understand this meaning, and always wants to buy clothes, and the elder brother also teaches it from time to time. Fortunately, it is not complete now; when it is full time, stinginess and fierceness follow This is the most fearsome one!A virtuous brother, wife, and daughter-in-law complain to each other between the doors of the house, which is a defect. My brother should think about it and make up for it. You can't give it all you want, and if you give it all, it will gradually become almost complete.My brother is extremely intelligent, and if he sees the Tao in the future, he will gain something, so he must let go of his words.

As for the debts owed by the family, my elder brother really doesn’t know all about it. On February 16 last year, I received my father’s handwriting on the 4th of the first lunar month, saying: "All the years, the money is used to cover the surplus, and the interest borrowed last year has been exhausted. Qing, the family is going well, so I'm not embarrassed." What my father said is so, my brother doesn't know much about it, and I don't know what it is all about?What is unfinished?Brothers know only one hundred taels of Jiang Xiaoba's patriarch and fifty taels of Zhu Lanxuan. , I don't know how to repay it?I am planning to ask my grandfather this time.

In addition, I don't know about the accounts. I hope to open a detailed list in the next letter, so that I can plan gradually, as my brother said: "Has the debt in the family been spread? If it has been spread but not in fact, the grandfather will be punished." In the name of being stingy, if I add a letter, I will inevitably be blamed for the second or third of my virtues⑥." This brother read the letters from his two younger brothers, and he was hesitant and helpless. I hereby submit a report to the court, according to the words of the ninth younger brother, it is said that Zhu Xiaoshan once received two hundred from Tian, ​​which was not what he originally expected. The gift items were determined by his grandfather and uncle, or he would give two hundred as a gift, and each person would halve it. It's okay, or the family is very distressed, that is, it's okay not to give it away. For those who come from the Qi family, the family will use this letter to show it.If my grandfather believed it in the past and gave it generously, then this endowment does not have to be returned, and my brother has another Anxin to pay, and I am afraid that the generous special gift in the hall will make me feel suspicious because of receiving my book. Where a benevolent heart arises, it must be vigorous and do what we can. If there is a slight change of mind, doubts will arise, and selfishness will also arise. If you are generous and happy at home, be careful not to change your mind in my scholar's hall.If there is no change of mind in the classroom, then this is also the case. My brother said it, and it was done in the classroom. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, I don’t care about it. I want to make it difficult for Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and other provinces last year. I don’t have any money to send home. , the family can't blame me either. Ninth brother wrote a letter, the regular script is wonderful, Yu Aizhi couldn't bear to let it go, the beginning and the end of the pen were hidden, and no one was thrown away. The so-called past is always repeated. I want to have a close relationship with Chen Jimu. , can be commendable!However, what I teach you, there are still two things.Changing pens every day, the ancients must have a change in the middle of each stroke, like a rope, the first strand is on the top, once changed, the second strand is on the top, and then the third strand is on the top, the nib of the pen is only a little Ear, this little bit, I use it as a square iron, starting from the east to the left, west to the right, and changing it to the east to the right. If you change to the north, and if you change to the west three times, the nib of the pen will have fronts on all sides, not only one side faces each other, but also there is a way to form characters; The letter written by the sixth brother is stubborn and vigorous; the writing style of the ninth brother is gentle and expressive, and both of them will be successful in the future, but why not read each book now?Don't just read the ink examination scrolls, so as to refresh your spirit. You don't need to practice too many words every day. You don't need to write a hundred words. You don't need to read too many books on education. But one part is not finished, so you can't change it to another part. This is an extremely difficult truth. My brother taught you thousands of miles away, and I only heard this. Brother Luo Luoshan greatly admires the righteousness of reading, but he regrets not being able to meet and talk freely. Recently, he has not gained anything from studying, and the rewards are so complicated that he has no time to give. Things should be successful, I hate that there is no such person as Han Yu Wang Anshi in this world, who confronted me, my brother should also take advantage of this time to learn poetry and ancient prose, no matter whether it is or not, and try to write it, if you don’t do it now, you will grow up in the future, The more I am afraid of being ugly, I will not do it. There are six classes a month, and there is no need to write poetry. There are four or six ancient poems and poems, doing everything, and doing things in a regular way. In the future, all rivers will diverge and return to the sea, and then one art will be mastered, that is, all arts will be mastered, and art will be mastered, that is, Tao will be mastered. Although this theory is too lofty, I have to say it for my brothers, so that I can know the Taiyuanba of Daben!The mind is oriented, so that it will not be vacillating, although when it is time to take the test, there is no view of gain or loss; if it is confused, that is, when it is doing business, it will not hinder the right business. Brothers, try to understand it calmly. It is also possible for Xu Huiwu to attach a poem of the Five Proverbs, a paper on the essentials of self-cultivation, and a paper on the courses for begging for lack of fasting. There is no time to record poems and essays. (Twenty-fourth day of Daoguang's reign) 【Note】 ① 詈: scold. ②Looking: extravagant hope. ③ Wanku: prosperity and withering; ④ Hungry: hunger. ⑤ (female on the left and rear on the right): kindness, beauty. ③ Criticism: Blame. 【Translation】 Around the sixth and ninth brothers: The letter said that from May to December last year, a total of seven or eight letters were sent. After my brother arrived in Beijing, only two letters were found at home. One was sent on January 20 and the other was sent on October 16. , I haven’t seen the rest, and it’s hard to get a long-distance letter. It’s often like this. There is the word “confused” in the December letter, and I can’t help sending it. Because of hopelessness, suspicion and trust are intertwined, and resentment and anger come together. The more sincere the bond of flesh and blood, the more earnest the hope, the sharper the words of reproach. A day is like a year, a house is like a wall, trust is like getting ten thousand taels of silver, and hearing rumors is like a turmoil. In addition, Mr. Tang Zai's suspense is more like severe cold, so I can't help but complain and scold you. My feelings have reached the extreme. However, looking at these two words for my brother, although it is meant to be forgiven, I can't help but blame you, not blame. Your emotion is to blame your indiscretion in words, so why should you be so concerned about it? As for the communication soldiers returning to Hunan when the letter was replied, it was when the communication soldiers arrived home that my brother really didn't know.There are so many people in my place, and things are complicated, brothers can imagine, what I mean is that people who are sent after receiving the list at home can rest assured about everything, where is there any suspense?The letter has been debated in detail, and my brother will not argue now, because although the feelings between each other are thousands of miles away, the sincerity seems to be seen by the eyes, without the slightest doubt, why bother to waste words on two leaves, and in future letters, do not mention it again . The silver taels sent were four hundred taels as a gift to relatives and clansmen. The letter said: "It's not that there is something that has been carefully considered, but it seems to have a good reputation." Reflecting on myself, the letter also said: "The so-called poverty, I have to do it, and I think that my family will not do such a generous act, so I said so." ?Although elder brother said he was unworthy, how could he be so cunning and despicable?The reason for this consideration is that there must be no one in the family to help, and the rest will be involved. My elder brother came to my grandmother's house in the year of the 1910s. I saw my uncle living in a cave and growing vegetables for his livelihood. He felt sad for a long time. When Uncle Tong Shi sent me off, he said: "Wai Xun is an official outside, and my uncle is going to be a cook." Uncle Nan Wu sent me off. When I arrived in Changsha, I shook my hand and said, "Send my daughter-in-law from abroad to Beijing next year." I said, "The capital is very bitter, so uncle don't want to come." The uncle said, "Okay, but I will still come to your office." Yes." Tears flowed down after he finished speaking, the elder brother was concerned about his mother's uncle who is already old, and the situation of hunger and cold can be imagined, and the tenth uncle has passed away, if we don't help them now, can the first and fifth uncles be honored by us?The fifth uncle died, and the elder brother wanted to take care of his wife, and help her hire monks from secular habits, and set up a dojo for the tenth uncle, so as to comfort the soul of the deceased, and to do our best to make the tenth uncle die. Do you think it is okay?Sister Lan and Sister Hui have lost their family fortunes. My brother likes to talk nonsense, saying that Sister Lan can still support her, and Sister Hui will be too hard to survive in a few years. Fellow sisters, even if she has no extravagant hopes, can we not Do you see her as family? Mr. Ouyang Cangming has a lot of old debts, and his family's hardships are not comparable to ours. Therefore, when his mother passed away, he couldn't do it a little more grandly and lack of etiquette. When my mother-in-law sent me off, she cried and talked about these hardships The elder brother gave her a very rich gift, which is all due to the worldly way of life. Uncle Chu Shan pressed for the creditor and had nowhere to go. The second uncle and grandmother often cried to me, and cried to Zi Zhi: "Ba'er cried so much at night , the ground was wet, and the field was bought for your family. The price was not expensive, and things took a long time. I often wrote to Guofan, telling him how miserable he was, "Zizhi saw it with his own eyes. Our brothers once Relatively crying. Uncle Dange and Cousin Baotian used to be my classmates for ten years, but they never expected that the sky and the earth are so far apart now. I know that when they are in trouble, they will definitely cry and hate their bad fate.In the year of Wuyou in Dange, he congratulated me with 8,000 renminbi. My virtuous brother estimated his situation, is it easy to get 8,000 renminbi?It was because he was happy, it was really touching!If it was used as bait for fishing, it would be very pitiful. Uncle Ren Zun saw that I was awarded an official, and he was happy from the heart, and he couldn't forget it. The two rooms were very upset, and the grandfather said: "When Guofan's grandson becomes an official, the first thing to do is to pay back the public funds." This has been said for a long time.It's just that the uncles of the halls don't dare to retort. They are both descendants of Mr. Jing Xi, but the disparity between Rong and Ku is so great. If the old man transfers Rongfu to his two rooms one day, don't say six hundred taels. How can I get six taels? The Yue family of the sixth brother and the ninth brother are all widows and orphans. They are starving and helpless. If my family does not help, who will help?If my family is less than eight taels, it is not necessarily persecuted by the creditor. If he gets eight taels, the whole family will be rejuvenated. Try to put yourself in the shoes of my brother, and you will know that this is like saving people from fire and water!Aunt Peng was very kind to me. She was poor in her old age. She saw me cry. Now that she is dead, she sent off Uncle Yiren because she couldn’t bear to see her. If you take care of your uncles and grandparents for a long time, then don’t treat him with the love for your grandmother. Uncle Peng’s great-grandfather, then treat him with the love for your grandfather. Mr. Chen Benqi, Mr. Deng Shengliuer, it is because of Teacher Jue’an’s relationship, the rest of the people who want to donate don’t really have the heart to look at the poor; it’s because some people who have close personal relationships don’t dare to intentionally try to curry favor with others, and how dare they use their own homes to do good deeds? Compared with his grandfather's stinginess, what about doing such a cunning and despicable act? After my younger brothers were born ten years later than me, I saw that these relatives were all poor, but my family was better off. I don't know how scattered it is, it's embarrassing, all prosperity and decline are in the weather.If the weather is prosperous, even if you are hungry and poor, you can be happy; if the weather is bad, you can worry about warm drinking. Now my family is in its heyday, and my virtuous brother thinks that the several hundred taels of silver are too little to reciprocate my love. Suppose my virtuous brother is in Chushan, In the state of Kuan Wu, or in the position of Ge and Xiong, can Brother Xian make them stable in one day? The prosperity and success of all human beings, or the withering and disasters, depends on God's will. Even a saint can't make his own decisions. Since God can make me be in a rich situation today, he can also make me in a good and lenient situation tomorrow. When a gentleman is in adversity, he is trembling, thinking that God is too generous to himself, and I should use my excess to make up for others' shortcomings. Those who are even worse are not bad. The ancients said that they are not as good as themselves according to their circumstances. This is the saying. The letter contains the words "a mere daughter". Don't you know that God has been too lenient to our brothers? ? My elder brother often studies the truth and observes the truth of the news of surplus and emptiness, so as to understand that people cannot be without flaws. There is nothing perfect and perfect, and the exfoliation of living things is the beginning of recovery. The gentleman feels gratified when he sees the weather from dryness to prosperity. The word is a sign of gradual perfection, but the gentleman thinks it is dangerous, so I say, auspicious The detailed image gradually turns from miserliness to fierceness. When the fierceness is revealed, it can turn evil into good luck because of repentance. A gentleman only knows the word "repentance". Since the characters are obtained, stinginess and fierceness come together, most of them are often lacking, and one person has all. It is because of the flexion and extension of the law of heaven, how can it be unfair? Now my parents are in the midst of celebration, my brother has no accidents, no one in the capital can be compared to beauty, and it can be said to be perfect, so my brother only went to study the defects, and named the house I live in "Qiu Que Zhai", It is because I am deficient in other things, and I seek perfection from the Lord in the hall. This is a small thought of mine. The old debts of the family cannot be paid off in full: the clothes of the Lord in the hall can’t be done more; My wife doesn’t understand the principle of asking for a shortage, and I always need to buy more clothes, and my elder brother always teaches me. Fortunately, I don’t have everything. When it’s ready, the miserliness and fierceness will follow.” This is the most terrible thing. Yes, the virtuous brother and his wife complained about resentment at home. This is a defect. The younger brother should think of making up for this defect, but he cannot satisfy all the requirements, because if he tries to satisfy all the requirements, he will be seeking perfection. The younger brother is very smart, and he will realize this in the future. Reason, one must understand what I said. As for the debts at home, my elder brother really doesn't know all about it. On February 16 last year, I received my father's letter on the 4th day of the first lunar month, saying: "All the money used for the year is more than enough, and the interest borrowed last year has been repaid. Qing, the family is going well and not in distress." The father said so, and the elder brother also understood it very well, so I don't know which one to return?Which one is not returned?What the elder brother knows is only one hundred taels for Jiang Xiaoba's grandfather and fifty taels for Zhu Lanxuan. Still don't know how to pay off?I am preparing to ask my grandfather this time. In addition, my brother is really not clear about the accounts. In the next letter, please make a detailed list so that my brother can plan slowly, as my younger brother said: "Has the debt of the family been spread? If it has been spread, but it has not been done yet. If I read the letter from the younger brother, the grandfather will have a reputation of being stingy, and I will inevitably be accused of two or three virtues if I add a letter." This is where the elder brother felt hesitant and had no plan after reading the younger brother's letter. Now I specially present a letter to the adults in the hall, written according to the wishes of the ninth brother, saying that Zhu Xiaoshan once received two hundred pieces of silver from Tian and Tian, ​​and it was not expected. The gift item was decided by his grandfather and uncle. , or take out two hundred and two to give away, and everyone can halve it, or the family is very difficult, and it’s okay not to give it away. When relatives and clansmen come, show this letter to them. The meaning of "self", my brother saw it, what do you think?If my grandfather and uncle were right in their previous letters and generously gave gifts, then there is no need to send this letter back. If my elder brother sends another letter, I am afraid that the hall insists on giving gifts generously, but will hesitate because of accepting this letter from me. Whenever a heart of benevolence and righteousness arises, one must go all out and do it with all one's strength. A little change of mind will regenerate doubts, selfishness and distracting thoughts, so that more calculations will result in miserliness; once selfishness takes over, then There is a deviation between good and evil, and the severity is also out of balance. If the family is generous and generous, please be careful. Don’t change your mind because of my letter. The adults in the class are perfect; whether it is right or wrong, the younger brothers don’t care about it. If I got a hard job in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and other provinces last year, and I didn’t send a penny back home, my family can’t blame me! The letter from the ninth brother is beautifully written in regular script. I can't put it down. I can't put it down. I don't want to put it down. I don't throw away a pen. It's true that there is a past and a return. I want to study calligraphy with Chen Xiumu, and I have my own experience. Congratulations!However, what I have taught you are two more things. One is to change the pen. The ancients must change it between each stroke. It is like a rope. The first strand is on the top. The three strands are on the top, there is only a little where the nib lands on the paper, and this little, I use it as a square stylus. The starting point is east on the left, west on the right. If you feel right, if you switch to the east, then to the north, and then to the west for the third time, then the nib will have fronts on all sides, not just one side facing each other. The letters written by the sixth brother are stubborn and vigorous, and the writing style of the ninth brother is graceful and clear, both of them will surely achieve success in the future.But now I don't know what books everyone is reading?You must not look at those exam questions in vain, and you will lose your spirit. You don’t have to practice too much every day, you can write a hundred words, and you don’t have to memorize. There must be a lot, and you only need to read ten pages. However, if you haven't finished reading one part, you can't change it to another. Brother Luo Luoshan reads and understands righteousness. I admire it very much. It's a pity that I can't meet and talk freely. I should have some achievements, but I only regret that there are no such people as Han Yu and Wang Anshi today, and I can question and verify with them. My brother should also take this opportunity to learn to compose ancient poems. , the more I am afraid of being ugly, the less I write. I have six classes a month, and I don’t necessarily write poems. There are four or six ancient poems and poems, do everything, keep it constant, and in the future, all rivers will divert and return to the sea, then one art will be mastered, and all arts will be mastered, and they will be connected to the Tao. Although this argument is not very high, I must tell you so that you can grasp it. To understand the principle, so that the mind is oriented, so that it will not be vacillating. Although it is the right time for the exam, there is no point of view of gain or loss to mess up your original intention. You can comprehend it quietly, or you can comprehend it slowly.Appendix 5 contains a poem of Proverbs, a piece of Proverbs for Self-cultivation, and a piece of Lessons for Begging for a Lack of Fasting. I don’t have time to transcribe poems and essays. Please forgive me, brother Guofan. (March 10, Daoguang 24th year)