Siheyuan: Silly Pillar is Kind

After stepping out of the grove, Sha Zhu let out a long sigh of relief.

At the same time, he began to struggle with whether this series of actions was right or not.

But before long, he stopped thinking about this problem. Since he couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it...

Sha Zhu rode his bicycle slowly to the professor's house, which was located in the staff building on the university campus.

This is a four-story building, with three households in each unit. After I stood still, I gently knocked on the professor's door.

The door opened, and a kind old lady appeared before him. She smiled and asked, "Young man, who are you looking for?"

I replied politely, "Hello, grandma, I would like to meet Professor Cao. I was recommended by Ms. Liu Shulan."

The old lady suddenly understood and said with a smile: "Oh, so that's how it is. Xiao Liu mentioned it to me before. Come in, young man. My old man is in the house!"

I nodded gratefully, walked into the house, and handed the supplements I brought to the old lady: "Grandma, these are some supplements I specially prepared for you and Professor Cao. Please accept them."

The old lady said a little embarrassedly: "Oh, you are so polite. But this depends on whether the old man is willing to accept you as his apprentice. You can put these things here first."

At this moment, an old man wearing glasses came out from the inner room. As the light in the room was dim, he stared for a while, then asked, "Young man, are you He Yuzhu?"

When I heard the question, I quickly agreed: "Yes, Professor Liu, I am He Yuzhu."

Professor Liu waved his hand, motioning me to put the things down, and then said: "In that case, these gifts can be regarded as your tuition to me. The relationship between us is not a traditional master-disciple relationship, but I will do my best to guide you."

"Okay, Professor Liu."

Sha Zhu muttered to himself that he had never met anyone like Professor Liu. His eyes seemed to be able to see through everything. Even people like Zhang Tiesheng and Li Huaide did not have such a sharp gaze.

This made Sha Zhu feel a little nervous, and his words and actions became restrained.

Professor Liu turned around and walked into the house, followed closely by Sha Zhu.

After entering the room, Sha Zhu was surprised to find that the furnishings inside the room were very simple. There was only a desk, a chair, a book and a cup of tea on the table.

This simple style was very different from what he had imagined a professor's residence to be, and he couldn't help but feel a little confused.

As if sensing Sha Zhu's thoughts, Professor Liu smiled and asked, "Are you surprised? You might think that a professor's home should be filled with books on all four walls, right?"

Sha Zhu answered honestly: "It's a bit unexpected!" Then, Professor Liu said earnestly: "In fact, books are not about the number, but about remembering them in your heart. If those who put books on a whole wall cannot understand and apply the knowledge they have learned, then what is the point of these books?"

After a pause, Professor Liu continued: "Although others call me a historian, in the final analysis, it is only because I have read more ancient books than ordinary people, memorized the contents, and then flexibly applied them in practice."

At this point, Professor Liu changed the subject and asked Sha Zhu: "So, student He Yuzhu, what do you hope to learn from me?"

Sha Zhu thought for a moment and replied, "Professor, I have read a lot of books, and the one I am most fascinated by is "Water Margin". However, I am not in love with the heroes in it, but more of a pity for their fate. Since then, a wonderful emotion has begun to spread in my heart, but I can't express clearly in words what aspect I like.

At this time, Professor Liu laughed softly: "Student He Yuzhu, you haven't even finished reading and understood the book, so where do you get the so-called insights? Are such insights correct? You can't look at the problem so one-sidedly. If you think from a different standpoint and angle, perhaps you will have completely different choices and approaches!"

After hearing this, I suddenly understood and quickly asked respectfully: "Professor, please teach me!"

Professor Liu nodded at my sincere attitude and said earnestly: "The knowledge taught to you is often easy to forget. Only through your own understanding can you truly become your own. Everyone's inner thoughts are complicated, and if you want to stabilize your state of mind, you need to start from the basics. If you are restless, all kinds of distracting thoughts will come one after another, causing us to lose our sense of proportion in our words and deeds."

I couldn't wait to ask, "So, professor, how do you think we should calm our minds?"

Professor Liu smiled and answered slowly: "In the initial stage, you can use some external things to assist in your practice. For example, observe the magnificent natural scenes or the deeds of great people, draw strength from them and condense your own unshakable beliefs. After your heart is settled, the knowledge in the books can be truly understood and absorbed. Only when we immerse ourselves in books can we understand the laws and principles of the operation of all things in the world. After understanding these principles, our thinking will become more agile and intelligent. At this time, just a little guidance can make inspiration emerge like a spring and strengthen your determination to pursue wisdom. Do you understand the deep meaning of this?"

"Hmm... I seem to understand a little bit, but I'm not very clear about it."

Sha Zhu scratched his head and answered in confusion.

“If you can’t fully understand it for the time being, then put it into practice first and experience the mystery through actual actions. If you encounter any questions, you can always ask me!”

“Okay, Professor Liu! So which book should I start reading?”

“For beginners, you can choose some simple and easy-to-understand works, such as the Three Character Classic,” Professor Liu suggested.

Hearing this answer, Sha Zhu was stunned - isn't "Three Character Classic" for children to learn enlightenment? He looked at Professor Liu with suspicion.

However, Professor Liu smiled and said, "Although the Three Character Classic seems simple, it actually contains profound life philosophy. But how many people can really understand it? Not to mention putting the values ​​it conveys into practice. This is the first lesson I want to teach you: whether you really understand it is not important, the key is to have the courage to try and practice it yourself. Only in this way can you experience for yourself whether it is right or wrong."

"What if I think it's wrong, Professor Liu?" He Yuzhu stared at Professor Liu with wide eyes, as if trying to find a hint of joking or teasing on his face, but eventually he withdrew his gaze in disappointment.

"Then it means that what is written in the manual is wrong. You should have your own understanding of why it is wrong! Don't just follow what others say. If others say that it is right to respect your parents, then you also think that it is right to respect your parents."

Professor Liu said this expressionlessly, as if he was stating a very simple fact.

Hearing this, Sha Zhu couldn't help but sweat on his forehead, and muttered to himself: "What on earth does Professor Liu mean? Is it wrong to be filial to one's parents?"

He opened his mouth and wanted to retort, but found that he couldn't find the right words.

Professor Liu seemed to see through He Yuzhu's inner confusion, smiled and continued to explain: "Our parents gave birth to us and raised us. Do our parents ask for anything in return? If they don't ask for anything in return, then do we not have to repay this kindness? If they do, doesn't that mean that the saying 'Parents's kindness is greater than heaven' is wrong? He Yuzhu, what I said only represents my personal opinion. As for how you feel about it, that is the result of your own real thinking."

"Professor, what's wrong..." Sha Zhu finally couldn't help but ask, but was interrupted by Professor Liu before he finished speaking.

"You mean to say that the knowledge I teach is different from that of other teachers and professors, right?" Professor Liu raised the corner of his mouth slightly and looked at He Yuzhu with a faint smile.

Seeing the other party nod in agreement, Professor Liu continued, "Do you know why there have been books recording and passing down history since ancient times, even if a single sentence or even a single word in it has never been changed?"

Faced with this question, Sha Zhu could only shake his head honestly, indicating that he didn't know the answer.

"It's called history, but in fact it's more like a life legend written down by our ancestors in short words!" Professor Cao paused for a moment and then continued earnestly, "We humans don't have an innate memory ability, but it is through these books passed down from generation to generation that we can understand the mistakes made by our ancestors. Otherwise, how could Wu Zetian have left behind the words 'the merits and demerits will be judged by future generations'!"

"If history is so important, why are people so indifferent to it?" Sha Zhu asked suspiciously.

"Who do you mean by 'everyone'? Your co-workers? Or your chef?" Facing Professor Cao's question, Sha Zhu answered honestly, "Both."

"Then let me give you the most simple and understandable example, maybe then you can understand the reason."

Professor Cao pointed to the newspaper on the table while speaking. Sha Zhu was puzzled, but he still looked in the direction of his finger and kept his eyes on the newspaper.

At this time, Professor Cao stretched out his hand and pointed to one of the lines of words.

When Sha Zhu looked carefully, he saw the eight big words "Devote all my energy to the cause until my death" appeared in front of him.

Professor Cao said, "Among those people you cannot reach, in those corners that you cannot see, there is a group of people who are silently studying history. They work so hard just to avoid walking down the wrong path that their predecessors have taken! This is exactly the purpose of studying history!"

"I understand, Professor Cao." Sha Zhu replied respectfully.

"Okay, go back and study hard first. Although the Three Character Classic is short, it contains profound truths and wisdom. After reading it, you must experience it carefully and form your own opinions. That's all I'm going to tell you today." Professor Cao waved his hand and said.

After hearing this, Sha Zhu slowly stood up and bowed slightly to Professor Cao to show his respect: "Thank you for your teaching, Professor Liu, I will leave first."

"Oh, by the way, remember to bring more gifts next time you come!" Professor Liu suddenly added with a smile.

Sha Zhu bowed solemnly, then turned and left the room. He secretly made up his mind to study history more diligently and live up to Professor Cao's expectations.

At the same time, he also realized that Professor Cao was the professor who could impart knowledge and answer questions!