Chapter 295: Hard Work Doesn’t Necessarily Bring Wealth, Not Working Hard Ensures Comfort!
The students were all indignant and began to criticize.
“How can you treat the elders this way?”
“Respecting the old and loving the young has always been a tradition in our dynasty. How can he sit comfortably while the elder struggles to carry the sedan chair? This is like eating bread soaked in human blood!”
“This is disrespectful to our teachers and elders, contradicting the ways of sages, it’s too much!”
“Doesn’t his conscience ache?”
…
Lin Beifan asked again, “So what should be done?”
“That person should come down immediately. The elder should be above, the younger below, that’s the right way!”
“Young people should carry the sedan chair for the elders, that’s in line with moral principles! Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a disruption of virtue?”
“And the young person should apologize to the elder!”
…
Lin Beifan smiled faintly, “But, that young person – paid for the sedan chair!”
“What’s the big deal about paying? Does paying give someone the right to do whatever they want?”
“Can paying allow the trampling of the elder’s dignity? That’s not reasonable!”
“Even if he paid, he still can’t sit!”
…
Everyone remained united in anger, highly emotional.
Lin Beifan smiled again, “But if they don’t sit, the two elders won’t earn any money! If they don’t earn money, they’ll starve! Life is of paramount importance. Can you bear this responsibility?”
“Well…” Everyone was somewhat speechless.
“Lord Prefect, how could they starve?” a student asked in confusion, “Don’t they have children at home? Can’t their children support them?”
Lin Beifan shook his head, “Your question is too naive! If they had children to take care of them, would they come out to earn money at such an old age? Even if they had children, would their children be willing to watch their own father, at such an old age, carry sedan chairs to earn money for others?”
“Well…” Everyone was once again speechless.
Lin Beifan said, “The reason they carry sedan chairs to earn money must be due to their difficulties! If you don’t believe it, go and ask them to see if what I’m saying is true!”
They did ask and received a very disheartening response.
One of the elders had truly been a bachelor for over 30 years, and everyone in his family had died, leaving only him.
The other elder had a child, but the child had congenital idiocy, with an IQ of 10. Taking care of himself was a challenge, let alone taking care of the elder.
So, out of necessity, they had to earn money on their own.
A student asked, “Why not do some simple tasks? Carrying sedan chairs is too tiring and demanding!”
The elder replied, “Do you think we don’t want to? We’re old now, not very agile, not mentally sharp. People are afraid we’ll have accidents, so they don’t hire us! We have no choice but to set up this business to earn money!”
A student asked, “Could you engage in some small business to support yourselves?”
The elder replied, “Where would we know how to do that? We’ve been fooled before and didn’t even realize it. It’s better to carry sedan chairs!”
A student asked, “But you can’t carry young people anymore, it’s not in line with ethics, it must be stopped!”
The elder replied, “Please don’t interfere! We’re earning money from young people now, only they are willing to spend money! The older folks are more and more stingy, saving money for their old age!”
A student asked, “But this is really too hard. How long can you continue carrying sedan chairs?”
Elder: “Life is as fragile as grass and mustard seeds. Living one day at a time is already a luxury. We don’t expect anything more.”
Watching the disappointed faces of the students, Lin Beifan smiled and said, “When young people ride in sedan chairs, it goes against moral principles. But if young people don’t use sedan chairs, these two elders will simply starve to death! So, do you still think that the idea of elders carrying sedan chairs for young people is wrong? Should it be stopped?”
Everyone exchanged glances, speechless and deeply disheartened.
“Existence justifies itself, and reality is this cruel!” Lin Beifan shook his sleeve, “So now, here’s the question! If you were in a position of authority, how would you solve the problem of elderly people depending on others?”
A student raised their hand, “We can provide them with money and food, so they have something to rely on!”
Lin Beifan shook his head, “No! There are millions of elderly people like them, and the court doesn’t have that much money and food!”
Another student raised their hand, “We can encourage the young people of our generation to support them in their old age!”
Lin Beifan shook his head again, “No! Even young people are struggling to support themselves, how could they support others?”
Another student raised their hand, “We can offer them simple tasks!”
Lin Beifan shook his head once more, “No! The tasks the court can provide are all laborious and exhausting, even more so than carrying sedan chairs!”
…
Each suggestion they put forth was met with Lin Beifan’s rejection.
Everyone grew increasingly disheartened, their mouths bitter, “Is there truly no solution?”
But Lin Beifan smiled, “Reality is even more brutal than you imagine!”
Then, leading the group, Lin Beifan arrived at the doorstep of a wealthy household. There lived a poor family there, selling their daughter as a slave to serve as a maid for the wealthy household.
Lin Beifan asked with a smile, “How do you view this situation?”
Once again, the group became angry.
“How could they sell their daughter?”
“Selling their daughter for a bit of money, that’s heartless!”
“Such people have no right to be parents!”
…
Lin Beifan asked with a smile, “So what should be done?”
“We must stop them. No matter how poor, they can’t sell their daughter. It’s basic human ethics!”
“How could they do something like this? Do they have no sense of propriety and shame?”
“We should report them to the authorities and teach them a lesson!”
…
Lin Beifan smiled, “But if they don’t sell their daughter, that impoverished family, including all its members, might starve to death. Even the daughter might die of hunger. But if they sell her, the entire family can survive! The daughter, in the wealthy household, might survive as well! What do you think should be done?”
“Well…” Once again, everyone was left speechless and helpless.
“It couldn’t be that bad, right?” one student said reluctantly.
“If you doubt it, go and ask!” Lin Beifan said.
After asking, they found out that it was indeed true.
In that impoverished family, there were about eight members—two elderly people who were unable to work due to illness, and four children who were all very young and lacked the ability to work.
The key issue was that the male head of the family was disabled and had limited mobility, while the female head had limited abilities as well.
It was incredibly difficult for them to earn enough money to support their family of eight.
So, with no other option, they had to sell their eldest daughter.
A student asked, “But even in poverty, they shouldn’t sell their daughter!”
The male head of the family responded, “Of course, we didn’t want to either. But if we don’t sell her, our entire family will have no food!”
A student asked, “She’s your flesh and blood. How could you bear it?”
The male head of the family replied, “Of course, we can’t bear it. That’s why we found a good family for her! In that good household, she can eat well and sleep warmly! Moreover, we can still see each other often and take care of one another! We asked our daughter, and she agreed!”
After asking, the students returned with disappointment. Lin Beifan asked, “If they don’t sell their daughter, the whole family won’t survive! By selling her, everyone can survive, and the daughter might even have a better life! Now, do you still think that selling the daughter is wrong?”
“Well…” Everyone exchanged glances.
“Here’s the problem again!” Lin Beifan asked, “If you were in a position of authority, how would you solve the problem of ensuring that these children have something to rely on? How can they all grow up in their parents’ care, enjoying family happiness?”
The students proposed one suggestion after another, all of which were similarly rejected by Lin Beifan. Though their ideas were good, they lacked practicality.
Then, Lin Beifan led the group to a physically able young beggar.
“How do you view this situation?” he asked.
The students became angry! Previously, they had encountered two elderly individuals and a poor family who, due to various reasons, faced hardships but still chose to work hard to support themselves—an admirable determination.
…
However, this young, physically capable individual had become a beggar.
One student angrily asked, “You have hands and feet, so why do you beg for money on the streets?”
The young beggar looked puzzled, “I have hands and feet, but I don’t have money!”
The student continued angrily, “Working hard will earn you money!”
The young beggar burst into laughter, “Working hard will earn me money? That’s a load of nonsense! Look at those farmers in the fields, hunched over for a lifetime, have they become wealthy? Look at those laborers, working hard all their lives, doing dirty and exhausting jobs, barely resembling humans. Have their lives improved at all?”
“You!” Everyone was left speechless.
“So, I’ve figured it out now! When I’m hungry, I beg for food; when I’m thirsty, I look for water to drink! I have plenty of leisure time, I can bask in the sun, appreciate the beauty of the street, and even admire beautiful women. I can do whatever I want. Life is just 50 short years. Suffering lasts a lifetime, exhaustion lasts a lifetime. Why shouldn’t I choose happiness for a lifetime?”
“What you’re doing is not right…”
“What’s not right about it?” The young beggar crossed his legs, “I don’t steal, I don’t rob, I don’t commit crimes. What can you do to me? You’re all educated people, don’t spend your whole life reading books and turning your brains to mush! Haha!”
The students returned once again, disheartened.
Lin Beifan smiled faintly, “That beggar makes a good point. Working hard doesn’t necessarily earn you money, but not working hard certainly leads to a comfortable life. It’s quite tempting to hear! If you were in their shoes, what would you choose?”
Everyone exchanged glances, without an answer.
“Here’s the question again: If you were in a position of authority, how would you motivate them?”
The students still couldn’t come up with a solution. If people don’t want to work, lie flat, and await death, what can you do?
Unless you hold a knife to their throats, but how long can you do that?
“Alright, the lesson ends here today. You may all go back now. Think deeply about the problems you encountered today. Once you’ve figured it out, you’ll know how to govern!”
“Yes, Lord Prefect. We take our leave!” The students bid farewell with clasped hands.
Lin Beifan turned and left as well.
“Lord Prefect, please wait!” Yao Zheng called out, catching up with him.
