A ragged cub at the beginning

Tang Xu rested for two days and then went to find the head potter again. The head potter happily accepted the job.

After the cold noodles and cold skin were ready, Tang Xu taught Aunt Feng how to make them and asked her to try making them. After they were ready, each person could be given a small bowl, and anyone who wanted to eat could order them.

With the cold noodles and cold skin, the family's appetite improved a lot. Tang Ling even showed up at mealtime, waiting to eat.

After a few days of idleness, another person came to the door. It was a pale-faced woman holding a swaddling baby, "Does the headmaster Tang who loves to beat men live here? I need her help."

? ?

What is the name of Director Tang who loves to beat men? What kind of a title is that?

Tang Xu said speechlessly: "I am, but I don't like to hit men."

"I'm wrong. I can't speak. Please save my daughter!" She was about to kneel down. Tang Xu saw that she was still holding the child, helped her up and asked, "What happened? Tell me first?"

Tang Xu took a look at the baby in the cradle. His face was red and his skin was wrinkled. His face was not even as big as a palm and looked very small.

This woman's name is Jiang Qiu, and she lives in Wangjia Village. This is her fourth daughter, and her family is very unhappy. Her mother-in-law bluntly said that she should just throw her into the mountains, saying that it was useless to raise so many girls. She also scolded her for being an old hen who could not give birth to a son.

But this was the child she had carried for ten months, how could she bear to throw it away in the mountains? She didn't want to, and the relatives in the house came to persuade her, saying that daughters were a waste of money, and three were enough. It would be better to throw it away quickly and give birth to a son to carry on the family line. She had just experienced childbirth and was already in a weak state. She dared not close her eyes at night, for fear that her daughter would be gone when she woke up.

When someone from her parents' home came, she wanted to go back and live with them for a while, but her father disagreed, saying that a married daughter is like spilled water and cannot live in her parents' home.

She was so frightened that she couldn't sleep that night, and her mother-in-law almost took her child away. If the child hadn't cried, she wouldn't have known about it.

The story of Tang Xu beating a man to stand up for a woman spread to several nearby villages. She had no choice but to give it a try.

At this moment, Tang Xu felt that her brain was too stupid. She couldn't think of any other solution. Her first reaction was to keep the person, but she couldn't just take them one by one, right? Wouldn't that be a mess? By then, everyone would know that the people she hid in the kindergarten were only one or two. What if they all came to take the person?

"Let me think of a solution. You wait a moment." Tang Xu had some food brought to her and turned to look for Old Madam Du.

"It's a good thing to be kind, but you have to do it within your means." Mrs. Du said with a smile.

Does this mean that she disagrees? Is she being criticized for her incompetence? Tang Xu was a little embarrassed. She knew that if she did this in modern times, she would definitely be called a saint. But maybe it was because most of the people she met were very nice and showed kindness to her, so it was difficult for her to turn a blind eye to these things.

Now she still has some strength left, and if she really can't do anything, she won't force herself.

"If there are things that cannot be handled, you can go to Xiaoyun. After all, he is the mayor, right?" Mrs. Du saw that she seemed to have misunderstood, and took her hand and said, "I think what you said before about wanting to protect women and children is very good. As the wife of the mayor, doing these things can not only help others, but also win Xiaoyun a good reputation. I support you. Young people should dare to think and act."

Tang Xu raised his head, a little surprised, "Mother, don't you think I'm dreaming?"

Madam Du smiled kindly, "Why do you say that? Man is good by nature. You are not doing anything bad. Although I think it's a bit unrealistic, it's good to be a man and do things with a clear conscience. Buddha said that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

Tang Xu nodded, then said with a strange look on his face: "But mother, don't you believe in Taoism?"

Madam Du looked as if you had discovered this. "Taoism emphasizes the importance of rebirth. No matter who you are, rich or poor, human life should be respected and cherished. This newborn baby is also a life. If you can save it, then save it. You are also a member of this family now. You don't need to come to me specifically to ask for permission to let someone stay with you for a few days."

"That won't do. We are all family, so of course we have to ask when a stranger comes in." Tang Xu smiled and hugged Madam Du's arm and acted coquettishly.

This made people feel comfortable. Old Madam Du had no daughter, so she was particularly fond of Banxia. Who could refuse a sweet and delicate little daughter? "Okay, people are waiting for you, go get busy. I said I would leave the household duties to you so I could be lazy, and you have no free time every day."

"Mother is still young, why is she thinking of being lazy? I can't do that, I'm still young." Tang Xu deliberately acted coquettishly.

"You," Old Madam Du laughed at her as she acted like a spoiled child.

Jiang Qiu stayed there temporarily, but she was always uneasy, always feeling that someone was trying to steal her child, and she was like a frightened bird.

When Du Yun came back in the evening, Tang Xu mentioned this to him, and then sighed: "People value boys over girls, as if they have forgotten that they all came out of women's bellies."

Du Yun nodded and said, "It is inconvenient for women to act outside. They are not as strong as men. Moreover, if you look around, you will see that all those in high positions are men. They will naturally strive for more benefits for themselves."

"That's true, there's a natural difference in strength. Maybe I'm inferior to men in strength, but I'm not inferior in brains." Tang Xu curled his lips.

Du Yun poked her puffy cheek with amusement, "This is not the most important thing. You know the words of the saints are regarded as the guiding principles by the world."

"You mean Confucianism?"

"Confucianism emphasizes ritual and order, and places more emphasis on men, while women are only required to be virtuous and serve their husbands and families at home. Scholars have been taught this way since childhood, and most of them hold high positions. Over time, this situation has become increasingly serious."

So why are you different?

Tang Xu thought about it and asked.

"I used to be one too, but my parents believe in Taoism. People who practice Taoism pay more attention to following the laws of nature and balancing yin and yang. All living things should be cherished. I was very confused for a while. On the one hand, there were the words of the saints, and on the other hand, there were the teachings of my parents. The two were contradictory. It was my teacher who discovered my predicament and..." Du Yun paused, as if thinking about how to describe it, "The scolding woke me up."

Tang Xu remained silent, waiting for his next words.

Du Yun couldn't help laughing when thinking about the conversation. "The teacher asked me why I wanted to grow a head? Was it just to look taller? No matter who said it, don't I have my own ideas?"

That gentleman is really sharp-tongued. Tang Xu chuckled, "I didn't expect that the gentleman is such a humorous person."

"You should call me teacher," Du Yun corrected her. "When I was young, many people despised me. They said I had forgotten my roots, and I was even thrown into prison. But at that time, a famous scholar spoke up for me. He said that there shouldn't be only one opinion in the world, and he wanted to accept me as his disciple. But I refused, saying that we didn't get along. I was thrown into prison many times because my words were... too intense."

Well, he is a great man. I just don't know how fierce he is?