Chapter 21 end

When the Japanese entered Huixian County, Henan Province, they set fire there for more than half a month. From the county seat to the village, the fertile soil at the southern foot of Taihang Mountain, which was established as a county in the Han Dynasty, was scorched by hand.Shuizhu Village was hard to escape, and it became ruins overnight. The people in the village were burned to death, killed, and captured. The remaining old, weak, sick and disabled also fled everywhere. Gone, what remains are broken walls, scorched tree bones and lonely souls of phosphorus and fire every night, ghosts sobbing!

One day, in a corner of the ruins, there were actually two old-fashioned people with long braids chatting there. They didn't talk about the desolation in front of them, but chatted happily and talked about life. The old man Yu, holding a long pipe and puffing clouds, said: "Mr. Ju, you have spent your life in vain. You have become a king and a landlord. You really have made a big family!" "Brother Yu, you only know the appearance, but not the inside!" Xu Ju said, Shichang, "Do you think that man is so easy to be a king and landlord? It's not easy to be a man! You can't be ashamed of just a human face." Can't finish watching: crying and laughing, disguised, deformed, like gods and ghosts, like cows and horses, can you see through it?"

The old man named Lao Yu knocked off the remaining ashes in the smoke pot and said, "I think you have done a good job. Although it has not been five years, you have retired without disaster. Tianjin, Qingdao, Beijing , A vigorous family business! Let’s talk about Hui County, if it weren’t for the Japanese Sanguang, you would not be the richest man in this place.” Gold, silver and land are things outside the body. If you don’t bring it with you when you die, it’s meaningless. "Xu Juren sighed deeply, and reached out to ask the old man for a cigarette pouch. The old man filled the cigarette for him, handed it over, and said: "I remembered, someone gave you a summary of your decades of official career, saying that you have ups and downs, honors and disgraces are not surprising, and your secrets of life can be used as a reference for future generations." .can you talk about the back and forth?"

Xu Ju was smoking a cigarette, and said, "You mean the four ends discussed by others, right?" I hope Ju people can tell the truth." "That's natural." Xu Juren said; "As the saying goes, people who are about to die have good words. You and I have both died, so what else can't be revealed?" "Okay, I'll get straight to the point." Old man Yu said, "Some people say that you are very tactful. You can leave room for words, but you can change things with deeds. You don't say goodbye to others, and you are slick in everything. You think you have the right and the wrong. But is it true?"

"It's true." Xu Shichang said. "Why do you do that?" asked the old man. "People in the world have almost the same appearance, but their hearts are vastly different. If I want to be a good impression in the eyes of many people, I must have both sides. Let the good people not say that I am bad, and let the bad people not treat me badly." The old man smiled and nodded.He also said: "Secondly, you have kept silent all your life when encountering problems, waited for changes, and never acted easily when you are not sure. That is the so-called calmness. Why?" "To survive, you have to stand on your feet." Xu Shichang said: "If you don't play steadily, you won't be invincible forever."

"Third, people say that you are flexible, and you are used to braking with stillness and overcoming rigidity with softness. Does it work?" "It's very effective!" Xu Shichang nodded frequently. "Most people are self-defeating because they are too rigid. They act impulsively, regardless of the consequences. They have forgotten the lesson of the ancients: a little intolerance can lead to chaos and big plans! Have you thought about it, on the day when the warlords were fighting, it was not because of a meekness Word!" "Insightful!" said the old man, "You will never be the first in the world, nor will you be left behind. When the time is over, you look forward to making it happen; when the time comes, you grasp it and make a decision immediately. Some people say you are alert. What do you think?"

Xu Shichang smiled. "The ancients said: Those who know the current affairs are heroes. One key word in this saying is literacy. Without knowledge, you can't do anything. Why can't you come to the name of a hero? When you retreat, you don't retreat, which is called blind action; when you advance, you don't advance. In order to keep the old. I can occupy a great position, that is, when the advancer advances, when the retreater retreats. There is no other way!" "So, the old man wants to ask a question." Old man Yu said, "It is said that you have made up your mind to be the president of Wenzhi. Why did you come down after a year and four months? I heard that you were pushed away." The one that came down was almost dead. Why is that?"

"Brother Yu, you have a good question, a good question." Xu Shichang said, "I often think like this: I will work for five years because of my dexterity. Now, how should I say it? It is called a wise man with thousands of thoughts. There is still one thing to do." Lose it!" "I don't quite understand. Be more specific." "In the beginning, I neither relied on Anhui, nor did I rely on Qianzhi, nor did I rely on Feng, and I was neither far away from Wan, nor Zhizhi, nor Feng. It must be one-sided, but who knows, tossing and falling, I lost the competition." Xu Shichang smiled: "You see, I am so confused: safety is difficult to guarantee in a melee, even they themselves are ups and downs, who can do it by themselves What about me? It's my fault. Do you understand?"

"After you say that, I... I'm even more confused." "It's rare to be confused!" Xu Shichang stood up, and just as he was about to leave, the old man Yu said again: "Mr. Ju, let me ask again. I heard that when the Anfu faction elected you as the president, there was a The ballot was for the fisherman, and later it was verified that it was Your Excellency. What is the source of this?" Xu Shichang shook his head and smiled. "That's an honor. You see, the fisherman profited by seeing his snipe and clam hurt. But what about me? Didn't I get kicked out by the three families?"

"I understand this point. You still have to be considered a beneficiary, and you have become the president majestically!" "Brother Yu," Xu Shichang smiled and took old man Yu's hand and said, "Why did you and I bother to come here? Both of us are people who have passed away, wandering around without a trace. What? Let’s go, follow me. Back then I brought two bottles of Lanling fine wine from Tianjin, let’s go and have a good drink and get drunk!” "You can rest only when you're drunk?" A gust of wind, a floating cloud, and the two ghosts disappeared.The rest is still in ruins, full of desolation.