Chapter 10 7. A young man loses his mother

Kong Qiu's mournful cry shocked the neighbors, and they all huddled in the room to wipe their tears. It was the first time they heard such a tragic cry from a boy... When Confucius came out of the school, he hurried home.In recent years, his mother has been in poor health, and Confucius was very worried. When I got home, I saw that my mother was not busy in the kitchen, and Kong Qiu ran into his mother’s bedroom again, and there was no mother on the bed, and there was no vegetable field in the backyard, then...it must be in the mulberry field or in the field...Kong Qiu He ran quickly to Sangdi, but he still couldn't see his mother, so he rushed to the field. He saw his mother lying in the field from a long distance away. Kong Qiu's heart tightened, and he quickly ran to her side:

"Mother, what's the matter with you?" He touched his mother's hot forehead and shook her arm. "Mother, mother." Yan Zhengzai slowly opened his eyes... breathlessly said: "Qiuer..." Kong Qiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Mother, you have a fever, my child will carry you back." Confucius carried his mother on his back, and when he got home, he put her on the bed again. "Mom, I'm going to see a doctor." "No...don't need to look for it, it will be fine in a few days. I have picked herbs, you can boil it for me later, and it will be fine after eating."

"Mom, from now on, I will do all the work in the field, and mother can't go anymore." "Qiu'er, you don't need to go to the field, you can do it after your mother is well...you...you still have to study!" Confucius stomped his feet and said, "Mother, the child will stop studying, the child only wants the mother." "What? You... Do you dare to say it again, child, what is the purpose of all this, mother? It is all for you to become a talent..." Zheng Zai began to cry as he spoke. When Confucius saw it, he quickly knelt down and said with a sob:

"Mother, I know I'm wrong, I just want to go to school, but I hope that mother will rest for two more days, at least wait until the fever subsides before getting out of bed." "Okay, mother listens to you. Just rest for two days." As soon as Yan Zheng's fever was over, she got up to spin and weave brocade. She spun and weaved desperately, and she wanted the money to pay her son's tuition.After she spun for a while, she felt flustered and out of breath, as if her chest was pressed by a big slate, so she stopped, took a few breaths, and spun desperately again...

"Mother, I'm back." Kong Qiu entered the house excitedly, saw that his mother was still ill and began to work again, and said with concern: "Mother, you look bad, stop spinning, the child will not let you work any more. Mother, I have money." After paying the tuition fee, I even bought some supplements for you." When Yan Zheng heard this, his face immediately turned serious, and he asked sharply: "Where is the money?" "Mother, you are upright. The child earns money as a trumpeter for weddings and funerals on the street." "What? Who asked you to be a trumpeter?"

"Mother, the child is off to school." "No! People will look down on you." "Kneel down for me." Kong Qiu knelt down. "Son, mother will never let you earn money, mother wants you to go to school." "No... Mother, the child wants to study and earn money at the same time, and the child needs to share the worries for the mother..." "Qiu Er, my good boy." Zheng Zai hugged Kong Qiu, tears streaming down Kong Qiu's forehead... This was an unforgettable day for Confucius. His mother opened the box beside her bed and took out a wooden box from under the box. She opened the wooden box and took out a very delicately cast brass tripod from inside.

Kong Qiu looked strangely. "Son, mother will tell you about the origin of this copper tripod." Confucius was still kneeling. "Do you see what is written on this copper tripod inscription?" Confucius turned his head to look, and saw that it read: If you die with one life and bow down, if you die again, you will bow down, if you die three times, you will walk along the wall, and no one dares to insult you.Hunger then, vend so, to make ends meet. "Do you know what it means?" Confucius said: "The literal meaning is that every time you receive an order, you should bow your head, lean against the wall and walk slowly, respectfully and carefully, so that you will not be criticized. Only then can you use it to make a living."

"Mother, I want to hear about the origin of this tripod." "The inscription on this tripod was written by your seventh-generation grandfather who was studying patriarchy." "Are you testing your father?" "Yes, he is humble and honest. He has been sentenced three times, each time becoming more pious. He used to be the assistant minister of Duke Dai, Duke Wu and Duke Xuan of the Song Dynasty." "A minister of Song State? Mother, my ancestors are from Song State?" Yan Zheng replied: "Yes, your ancestors are from the Song Dynasty. You are already the fifteenth generation. The earliest ancestor was Wei Yuqi, and Wei Ziqi was originally from the Shang Dynasty. After King Wu of Zhou defeated Zhou and replaced the Shang Dynasty, , Wei Ziqi was enshrined in the Song Dynasty, so your ancestor should be a descendant of Shang Tang. After Wei Ziqi died, his disciple Wei Zizhong succeeded to the throne."

My mother gasped for a while, and then said: "Go to Song Mingong, your eleventh generation ancestor is Fufuhe. He gave up the throne to his younger brother, who is later Song Ligong. So everyone respects him very much, it can be seen that you His ancestors had the virtue of humility." Confucius asked: "Then how did we become Lu people?" "Oh, that was when your sixth-generation ancestor took refuge in the State of Lu because of a coup d'état. Since then, the Kong family has lived and thrived in the State of Lu." Kong Qiu blinked: "Oh, it turns out that my ancestors were descendants of Shang Tang at first. Later, they were enfeoffed in the State of Song, and then took refuge in the State of Lu. Finally, they became natives of the State of Lu."

Yan Zhengzai said again: "Qiu'er, you pay the most attention to etiquette and music, so you must know Zhou Gong's rituals and music." "Mother, my child knows. In the school, the headmaster talked about Duke Zhou's expedition to the east, Duke Zhou assisting him to become king, and making rituals and making fun. Mother, my child admires Duke Zhou the most." "Then, do you know what Duke Zhou's spitting out means?" "My child knows, it's about Duke Zhou's eagerness to seek talents, and he doesn't even care about food, so he won the hearts of the people."

"Very good. As for your father being an indomitable hero, I have told you this long ago. Although your family is in decline now, you are of the blood of a saint and a descendant of a hero. Your mother hopes that you will become a talent. Don't go to Do those vile things." "Yes, mother...but..." "I just want to share my worries with my mother, don't you? No need! You should study hard and become a great talent in the future. Only then can you really share your mother's worries." "Son, do you remember?" "Mother, the child remembers." One day, Kongqiu carried a bundle of bamboo slips and books on his back, and went home through the wind and sand. From a distance, he said happily: "Mother, look, I have borrowed a book."... Hey, why didn't I hear my mother's words? Echo, could it be that he went down to the ground sick again. ...Go to the mother's room to have a look, ah!Mother fell to the ground, and the beans in the basin were scattered all over the ground... "Mother." Kong Qiu hurriedly ran over to help Zheng Zai, only to see his mother's face was pale and her breathing was weak. "Mother, what's the matter with you!" Yan Zheng covered his chest with his hand, shook his head, Kong Qiu quickly helped his mother to lie down on the bed. Neighbor Aunt Zhang came in and shouted: "Confucius, open the door for Madam." Kong Qiu hurried out and opened the door for Aunt Zhang. Aunt Zhang said, "Did your mother fall ill again?" "Yes. She passed out on the floor." "I'll go in and have a look." Aunt Zhang felt her pulse, looked at her face, and said: "Ah! No, I'm afraid it won't work. I still have a ginseng at home. I'll cook it." After a while, Mrs. Zhang came in with the ginseng soup, she hugged Zheng Zai, and fed her the ginseng soup mouthful... After a while, Zhengzai's complexion improved a little bit, and gradually Zhengzai opened her eyes. She looked at Kong Qiu, and two tears welled up from her eyes. "Mother..." Kong Qiu cried and knelt beside his mother's bed. "Big sister, if you have something to say, speak quickly." Zheng Zai said breathlessly and intermittently: "Qiu'er... Mother...seeing that you have completed your studies, I wanted to hold on to your marriage... before leaving...but...it can't be done, this is the most... most regrettable thing for mother... ..." Zheng Zai gasped for a while, and said: "...your elder brother Meng Pi is crippled, very... poor, you need to help him more... in the future." "The child obeys, and the mother is relieved." Zheng Zai gasped again and said, "Don't forget the Zhougong system of etiquette and music I usually tell you..." "Mother, the child remembers." Zheng Zai said again: "You... go and get a small wooden box on the head of my bed." Kong Qiu carried the small wooden box. "You open it." Kong Qiu opened the small wooden box and saw a bag wrapped in a silk scarf inside. He handed the silk bag to his mother.Zhengzai opened the silk bag, took out a pair of jade bracelets, and said: "This is what your father left me when he was alive. You sold it for a marriage...marriage..." Before he finished speaking, his head tilted Then passed away... "Mother..." Kong Qiu rushed over, crying loudly... Like the sky collapsing and the ground falling, like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, like a mountain avalanche and the ground cracked... Confucius felt that the sky was dark and the earth was dark for a moment, and he fainted on the ground... "Wake up, kid, wake up, kid..." Aunt Zhang hurriedly pinched him, waking Kong Qiu up. "Mother! Why did you leave the child behind...Mother, the child cannot live without you, mother! Let the child go with you." Kong Qiu was crying and was about to hit his head on the bed, but Mrs. Zhang held her tightly... At this time, people from the neighbors rushed over when they heard the crying. "Mother! You have spent your whole life for your child! Mother! Why did you go before the child could repay you?" Kong Qiu's mournful cry shocked the neighbors, and they all crowded into the room to wipe their tears. It was the first time they heard such a tragic cry from a boy. "Mother! You have taught your child to read and be a man. Your kindness is as great as a mountain. Mother! Why did you go before your child can give you a good life?" Confucius' cry attracted more and more people... "Mother! The child is not yet an adult, why do you have the heart to leave the child alone...Mother!..." Kong Qiu passed out again and was revived by the crowd. An old man said: "Kong Qiu is a good boy who loves reading and respects his mother. Let's all help him and bury his mother!" "Yes, we all help him." So the men helped his mother nail the coffin, the women helped his mother make the shroud, and the kind-hearted ladies brought white cloth and tied filial cloth on Kong Qiu's head and waist... In the evening, Aunt Zhang lit a spiritual candle for Yan Zheng, and Kong Qiu knelt in front of the coffin to keep watch. "Mother..." Kong Qiu's heart was bleeding, it all happened so suddenly.He was too young to bear it.Now, although he didn't cry aloud, the tears couldn't stop pouring out... The mother's voice and smile are vivid in my memory... Aunt Li, the neighbor, brought a bowl of porridge and persuaded: "Son, have some porridge, you haven't eaten for a day, oh..." Kong Qiu took the bowl, drank the porridge, stood up, saluted Aunt Li and said: "Thank you, Ma'am." The aunt sighed: "I lost my father when I was young, and my mother when I was young. My child, your life is so hard." "aunt……" "In the future, if you need any help from the aunt, just say, ah!" "Thank you ma'am." This happened in the seventh year of Lu Zhaogong in 535 BC, when Confucius was seventeen years old.