Zuo An received praise and his voice immediately rose a few decibels. "I was taking my younger siblings to catch small fish and look for clams by the river. Some children from the neighboring village came over and said the river belonged to their village and wouldn't let us fish. They demanded that we hand over any fish we caught.
We replied that this river flowed through several prefectures and was a river of Da Xia. Everyone in Da Xia had the right to catch fish here.
As a result, a boy walked over and kicked over our bamboo baskets. I endured it and warned him not to provoke us further, or he would face consequences.
Then, I took my siblings to continue fishing. However, as the boy turned away, he suddenly pushed my younger brother Lu Yu to the ground. Fourth Uncle was very angry and rushed forward to hit him. I stopped Fourth Uncle and endured it once more.
The boy then began to insult Fourth Uncle, calling him an idiot, a stupid chicken... a chicken's butt.
This time, I could no longer tolerate it. I instructed everyone to start resisting.
The boy then went to twist Rui Rui's ear. Who would have thought that little Rui Rui would slap him away with a single palm?"
At this point, the children all burst into laughter. Zuo Shan and Tie Zhu, missing their front teeth, looked incredibly comical as they laughed.
Bai Sheng, Mei Fei, Old Madam Zuo, and the others couldn't help but chuckle as well.
Zuo Siming turned his face away, a quick smile flashing across his lips before he resumed a serious expression.
Zuo An continued, "Those children ran back in utter terror and then brought back over a dozen older, stronger children than us.
As it turned out, my younger brothers Lu Yun and Lu Yu know martial arts, and Rui Rui is very strong. Within a few exchanges, we had them all subdued."
The children again burst into triumphant laughter.
Zuo Siming cleared his throat lightly and looked at Lu Yun, his tone stern. "Lu Yun, are all of Zuo An's words true? Is he lying?"
Lu Yun replied, "Reporting to the tutor, everything big brother Zuo An said is absolutely true, not a single word of falsehood."
"Good," Zuo Siming nodded with satisfaction. "Then you did nothing wrong today. Those bullies who arbitrarily harassed others certainly deserved to be taught a lesson! However, have you gained any insights from this incident? Share them with me."
Madam Wang nudged her husband with her elbow. "Husband, let the children wash up and change into clean clothes first, won't you? They might catch a cold otherwise."
"Oh, oh, yes, my lady is correct," Zuo Siming nodded. "Hurry and fetch water to wash up and change your clothes. While you're at it, ponder the question I just posed. Answer me during dinner."
The children yelped and rushed into the house. Lu Huo and Qiu had already heated the water.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye exchanged satisfied glances. Asking Tutor Zuo to educate the children was the right choice. When faced with a situation, Tutor Zuo did not scold the children indiscriminately but instead gave them an opportunity to explain and taught them to reflect and summarize their experiences.
Such a tutor respects children, inspires them, and allows them to grow from their experiences.
The children quickly washed up, and the meal was laid out on the tables, filling three in total.
The tables were laden with lamb, chicken, cured meat, braised fish... For many years, the Zuo family had not eaten such a sumptuous meal. The children couldn't stop drooling.
After Old Madam Zuo announced they could begin eating, the only sounds were the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
When they were nearly full, Zuo Siming picked up his rice bowl and walked over to the children's table. After taking a mouthful of rice, he asked with a smile, "What insights do you have about today's events? Speak up."
Zuo An felt he was the eldest and stood up first. "Grandfather, today I witnessed the martial arts of younger brothers Lu Yun and Lu Yu, as well as younger brothers Tian Dou and Tie Zhu, and Tian Ya. I also witnessed little Rui Rui's strength. I believe that only by becoming strong myself can I avoid suffering when bullied. Therefore, I've decided to learn martial arts from big brother Xiao Ye. I want to become a person who is both learned and martial!" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Seeing the mixed generational address! Hearing Zuo An call Lu Yun and Lu Yu "younger brother" and Lu Ye "younger brother Xiao Ye," Zuo Siming, his two brothers, and Baili Rong Mo exchanged helpless glances, then held their foreheads.
However, the two families hadn't formally recognized each other yet, so it seemed fine for An'er to address them this way.
Zuo Siming nodded and praised, "Very good, An'er. A true man keeps his word. But you must first ask Young Master Lu if he is willing to teach you. Do not force him."
Lu Ye, sitting at a neighboring table, laughed loudly, "I would be very happy to!"
"Thank you, Younger Brother Xiao Ye!" Zuo An respectfully stood up and cupped his fists towards Lu Ye.
"I want to learn martial arts too!" Zuo Shan and Zuo Hai both stood up.
Zuo Zhi and Zuo Gui exchanged glances and then stood up, "Us too! We want to learn martial arts too!"
"Good, I will teach anyone who is willing to learn!" Lu Ye said with a smile.
The Zuo brothers and their wives cast grateful glances at Lu Ye. With martial arts, the children would no longer be bullied by those in the vicinity!
Zuo Siming looked at the other children. "Is there anyone else with insights into today's events?"
Lu Yun put down his chicken drumstick and stood up. "Tutor, I do. But please don't be angry when I say it."
Zuo Siming's eyes lit up. "Your teacher will not be angry. Speak your mind."
Lu Yun said, "Tutor, I don't quite agree with your philosophy of 'one tolerance, then another tolerance, then a third tolerance.'
I believe we should remove the 'second tolerance' and only have 'one tolerance, then no tolerance.'
When others bully us without reason, we should tolerate them only once to show our magnanimity and give them a chance to correct their mistakes. That is enough.
If they make a mistake once and still don't realize it, and then make another mistake, they should be punished!"
Lu Yun's words made Zuo Siming fall into deep thought. The adults at the other two tables all looked over, casting admiring glances at Lu Yun.
Zuo Siming stroked his short beard, his eyes gradually shining with brilliance. He looked at Lu Yun and said with a smile, "Well said! Xiao Yun, your words have given me great inspiration. 'One tolerance, then no tolerance'—yes, this is the demeanor and spirit that young people should possess! Excellent!
All students listen carefully. We do not provoke trouble, but we also do not fear it. If in the future evil people deliberately bully us, we will follow the principle that Xiao Yun proposed: 'one tolerance, then no tolerance!' We must bravely fight back when it's time to fight back!"
Lu Yu puffed out his cheeks and stood up. "But, Tutor, what if the person bullying us is too powerful and we can't defeat them?"
"Hmm, Xiao Yu, that's a very good question!" Tutor Zuo praised. "What do you think should be done in such a situation?"
"I will not allow such a situation to occur. I will continuously train and improve myself to stand at the peak of strength!" Lu Yun declared with great spirit.
Zuo An excitedly high-fived him. "I have the same idea as Yun Di. I will not allow myself to become weak!"
The other children frowned, contemplating how they would handle such a situation.