Chapter 23: The obligations of the head of the family

Li Jing was very arrogant, holding his wife in his arms, ignoring everyone else and only seeing his sleeping wife. With one hand around Hong Fu’s leg and the other on her back, Hong Fu seemed very comfortable and even twisted in his arms. Li Deyu was a little shy and stood in front of Yun Ye to block his view, which made Yun Ye very unhappy. What a good gossip! How many people can see the deep affection of a military god? Cheng Chumo was a good boy who insisted on the tradition of not looking at indecent things, and he was full of stars, flattering Sun Simiao.

Sun Simiao, however, had no intention of talking to him. He slapped Cheng Chumo on the head and said, “Your father talks too much nonsense. You talk too much nonsense too. This is not good. Change it.” After that, he took Yun Ye to the front hall and asked, “You didn’t use gold needles, didn’t use herbal medicine, didn’t use massage, and just scared Mrs. Li a little to get her out of trouble and sleep peacefully. What is the reason?”

“Mrs. Li is just caught in a dream and unable to extricate herself. Exorcising the demons of the heart can be cured without medicine. This is a small trick that makes the Taoist laugh. I haven’t asked the Taoist’s name yet.” Yun would never underestimate a person who could stand side by side with Li Jing.

“I am Sun Simiao, a Taoist priest. I have long heard that there is a person in Chang’an who can prolong life by taking blood. He is only fifteen years old and is a rare genius. I am honored to meet him today and witness with my own eyes how he calms Mrs. Li’s illness with a flick of his hand. It is clear that his reputation is well-deserved. I am very impressed. I will have to get to know him better in the future. I still have many unanswered questions that I would like to ask you, General Yun.” The Taoist priest formally bowed his hands in greeting.

Oh my god, Sun Simiao is going to ask me about medical issues. When he thought of this, Yun Ye’s face turned red to his neck in an instant. The Medicine King Sun Simiao was a saint in this era. He traveled all over Guanzhong for decades, saving countless lives and helping the injured. He was a master of medicine with a high moral character. He was a rare figure in the Tang Dynasty that Yun Ye admired. He didn’t expect to see him in this situation today, which was really a bit of a surprise.

“It turns out that it was Sun the Great Doctor in person. I didn’t know my place, and I was showing off my little skills in front of the great doctor. I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed.” He quickly bowed to pay his respects. Li Er treats all immortals with family respect, so it’s better for him to be respectful.

“Young friend, what are you talking about? The wise man said, ‘The wise man is the first to arrive.’ What is there to laugh about? I don’t know what you did today, but Confucius said, ‘When three people walk together, one of them can be my teacher.’ I am a little older, and I have seen more things. I have saved many people, and my reputation has been greatly exaggerated by the villagers. But the more people I treat, the more I worry about making mistakes and disappointing the villagers who come to see me. The many difficult and complicated diseases that I have seen in my life keep me up at night. I watch helplessly as patients die because of the incompetence of doctors like me. I wish I could read all the medical books in the world in one day to find a cure. I hope you will not be stingy with your advice.

Sun Simiao’s words were earnest and his tone was low. Although his appearance was a little different from the one in the temple of the Medicine King in later generations, his feelings of compassion for the world were the same. The incense on Mount Medicine King has been burning for thousands of years, which shows the depth of Sun Simiao’s legacy.

“I have seen some strange and unusual skills from my master, especially some Western medical methods that are truly miraculous. I will tell you about them at a suitable time, and I hope they will be of some benefit to you.”

Sun Simiao smiled and agreed. Today is really not a good time to discuss medicine. He told Yun Ye the Taoist temple where he was staying, and left without saying goodbye to the host.

Li Jing looked at Yun Ye’s expression and said that he couldn’t put it into words. He felt strange, but also understood, and even felt inexplicably close. He came forward and patted Yun Ye on the shoulder: “I treated you two brothers badly today, but I will make it up to you later. In short, I appreciate your kindness. You still have a few more places to go, so go now.”

After seeing Yun Ye off, Cheng Chumo left. Li Deyu asked Li Jing why he didn’t let Yun Ye treat his mother. Since he could make his mother put aside the past, there was hope that he could completely cure her strange illness.

Li Jing shook his head and said, “Your mother’s illness cannot be cured. It can only be soothed when it occurs. Otherwise, how could I let him go? Since the kid didn’t take the initiative to treat your mother, it means he can’t do anything. The nightmare-like scene that year still makes my father shudder to think about it today. Your mother, as the party involved, suffered even more. She can be like this now, and it is already a blessing to have an occasional attack. Why dare I ask for more? It’s your parents’ retribution, so let us bear it.” Li Deyu was full of incomprehension.

Cheng Chumo didn’t speak after leaving Li Jing’s house. This was contrary to his character. Since he was thinking for the rare occasion, Yun Ye didn’t want to disturb him. The brain would rust if it didn’t turn around from time to time.

This state of mind lasted for a whole day. He was depressed at Niu Jinda’s house, he didn’t say anything when he was provoked at Yuchi Gong’s house, and he didn’t even show any joy when he was surrounded by a group of colorful women at Li Ji’s house.

Yun Ye was a little worried. If a person with no heart and mind gets into a dead end, it’s not easy to turn around and come out. After sending away the servants of the Cheng family, he returned home and personally cooked four dishes: a dish of pickled radish skins with vinegar, a dish of stir-fried bean sprouts, a large bowl of braised pork, and a chicken. The new white wine from the previous year was placed on the kang table. Without the maid’s service, the two of them were ready to talk.

Cheng Chumo drank three glasses of wine in a row as soon as he came up, and picked up the biggest piece of braised pork and stuffed it in his mouth to get rid of the smell of wine. Yun Ye slowly sipped the wine in his cup and waited for him to speak first.

“Xiao Ye, are we brothers?”

“Nonsense, if we weren’t brothers, I would have been waiting for you to speak for a day. If you have something to say, say it quickly and then leave. It’s the New Year, and you’re ruining my mood.”

“Today, listening to you talk to Sun Shen, I suddenly felt that life is really meaningless.” It took him half a day to come up with a sentence, and this sentence made Yun Ye thunderous.

“I didn’t hear you clearly, please repeat it.” Yun Ye wanted to make sure he hadn’t heard it wrong.

“I said I have no meaning in life.” This time I heard it clearly. This guy is tired of living.

“So what are you going to do? Are you going to slit your throat or hang yourself from a tree?”

“Xiao Ye, you want to revitalize the family business, Sun Shenxian wants to solve the world’s difficult and complicated diseases, even Yuchi Dasha wants to carve a stone inscription, and I am the only one in the whole world who is just waiting to die. My family business is big enough, and it can’t be expanded anymore, otherwise it will violate the emperor’s taboo. My father alone has earned the family’s credit My mother has kept the family in good order, so I don’t need to worry about it. The last time I went to Longyou might be the last time I went out. I am the eldest son, and the Tang Dynasty does not yet allow the eldest son to join the army. I should just stay at home and wait for my father to die before inheriting the title. When I think of this, I want to die.

I understand. As a young man with lofty ambitions in the Tang Dynasty, he was unwilling to let his life be arranged by his father. He hoped to make a name for himself and be free to roam the world. What a young man with lofty ambitions! What a super idealistic young man!

“Have you told Uncle Cheng about this?”

“Yes, my father said that if I ever had such thoughts again, he would break my legs.”

“Your family has been a prominent family in Shandong since the period of the Five Barbarians. Although it declined later, your father worked hard for many years to gradually make the Cheng family prosperous and prosperous, and now it looks like this. Have you ever thought about how much life you have paid for your family? How many Chengs have died on the battlefield? I understand Uncle Cheng’s thoughts. He wants the Cheng family to last for thousands of years. Although it is a hope, there is no family that can last for a thousand years. You are the second generation, and there will be a third and fourth generation in the future. People say that it is a struggle for the right to survive, the right to procreate, and the resources to survive. Even wild animals understand this, but it doesn’t make sense to you? You went to the battlefield to make a name for yourself. If you died in battle, would you expect your brothers to carry on the family name? What did Uncle Cheng want you to do? You may be happy, but what does Uncle Cheng think? He raised you with great effort and love, and now you have become cannon fodder for the war? The cost of cannon fodder is huge. Family, country, and world, family comes first. There will be no major changes in this situation for a thousand years.

Yun Ye didn’t understand how he had said what was in his heart. It was ironic that such selfish words came from the mouth of a young man who was born in the new society and grew up under the red flag. The noble sentiment of defending the country and risking one’s life had become mindless idiotic behavior in his own mouth. Why? Does it mean that I was originally a member of a large feudal family and was one of the best? Yun Ye was shocked by his own words.

Cheng Chumo stared at him with wide eyes, somewhat unfamiliar. After organizing his thoughts, Yun Ye said, “Chu Mo, we all have hot blood. Our chests are filled with hot hearts, not cold stones. When the country is in trouble, you and I are not cowards, but before that, we must do our own family’s business. There are many things to do. The locust plague in June will definitely come as scheduled. There is no doubt about this. The Tang Dynasty is not yet fully prepared. Think about it. The overwhelming locusts will create a famine that will spread across the mountains and plains. How many dynasties have not been destroyed by the hands of the victims? How much rationality can you expect from people who can’t survive? If you don’t handle it well, chaos will arise again. So I made a special appointment with Sun Shenxian today to talk to him, hoping to use his reputation to prepare for the disaster in June. Instead of aiming high, it is better to lower your head and do one thing steadily. This will be worthy of your conscience and you will not regret it when you think back on it many years later. Chu Mo, can you help me?

“I was going to beat you up, but now I don’t want to. We’re brothers, of course I’ll help you.”