Xu Damao's Thirty-Six Stratagems in Siheyuan

Guo Jiawei's actions were really fast. He came to see Xu Damao in the evening of the third day. He didn't know that Xu Damao and Gu Meifang were married yet.

"Brother Mao? Is this your new sister-in-law? Why don't you invite me, your brother, to have a drink at the wedding? At least I can contribute a little."

"San'er, your new sister-in-law and I are both remarried. I think it's better to just pack up and live our lives. It's not appropriate to have a grand ceremony. Do you have any news?"

"Well, Brother Mao, why don't we go there now? Outside Xuanwu Gate. The old man's family is a devout Buddhist. He wants someone to take over all his stuff, just like that. No matter what, it can't be transferred to other places. He also wants to come and see her stuff if he has a chance. It's up to you whether it works or not."

"Let's go now. Did you come here by bike?"

"Well, let's go now."

Xu Damao and Guo Jiawei rode together to the outside of Xuanwu Gate under the dim street lights. While riding their bikes, they explained the matter of Yan Yikuan to each other.

"Brother Mao, don't worry about Master Yan. He can't protect himself now. His father was said to have been arrested and relegated to the second line. There are reports that he may be demoted. The Yan family is living in fear now. Master Yan, on the other hand, had his leg broken by his father last year because of an incident involving an actor in the art troupe. He is now at peace."

"Damn, can this old man have the heart to hit his own son?"

"There's news that it was because of this incident when Young Master Yan was playing with an actor in the art troupe that someone caught him and put the Yan family under pressure. By the way, Young Master Yan was also caught for many other things. The old man survived by cutting off his arm and exchanged it for a harmonious family, but it is estimated that he will never get up again. Old Master Yan had originally walked through a bloody rain, and he was harmed by this youngest son. I think a broken leg is the least of his problems. It is said that at the scene, Old Master Yan had his gun drawn and loaded, but the eldest son raised his hand to block it, so he fired the gun into the air. So this matter has become quite a big deal, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find out the details so quickly."

After more than eight hours, Xu Damao and his companion arrived at a two-courtyard house outside Xuanwumen.

"Brother Meng, please inform Mr. Meng that Xiaosan from Dongcheng Guo is here to visit you."

"San'er, you know my old man better than I do, so just go in by yourself. My dad is in the study."

"Second Brother Meng, this is my buddy, Xu Damao, a cadre of the steel mill. The old man asked me to let Comrade Xu come and take a look at his collection. Comrade Xu promised to treat his whole room of collection well. Second Brother, when are you leaving?"

"Probably next month. Going to Gansu. Oh... I don't know if my dad can make it."

"It will be fine, next month. Fortunately, it is not too cold, otherwise it would be really painful. It would take half a month to walk on the road. Then I will go in."

Xu Damao and Guo Jiawei entered Mr. Meng's study. The room was filled with bookcases, full of books. There were porcelain and strange stones on the antique shelves, and a jade pendant hung in the middle, which looked very ancient.

All the furniture in the study is made of mahogany. When Xu Damao touched it, he felt that they were antiques. The patina was natural and it felt like they were at least 200 years old.

Mr. Meng looked at Xu Damao without saying anything. "Comrade Xu, do you like reading books?"

"Old man, I love, especially history and literature books. I think I have some knowledge of them."

"Have you ever believed in Buddhism?"

"That's not the case, but I still believe in many of the Buddhist principles. Throughout the ages, Confucianism has cultivated people.

Confucianism attaches great importance to human relations and advocates self-cultivation, family harmony, governance of the country, and peace in the world. The essence of Confucianism lies in being involved in the world and governing the world, emphasizing active progress, building achievements, and the moral principles of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and trustworthiness.

The essence of Taoist thought lies in the unity of man and nature and the rule of inaction. Taoism emphasizes following nature, attaching importance to natural laws, and pursuing harmony and unity with the universe and nature.

Buddhism emphasizes great compassion without any conditions and great compassion, and seeks a balance between the world and the secular world. As the Buddha said, "There is no self, no person, no sentient being, and no life. I deeply agree with this.

Mr. Meng was a little surprised when he heard this. "Comrade Xu, which school did you graduate from?"

"Old man, I come from a working-class family and graduated from high school. In the past few years, I have been interested in culture and started collecting antiques. I was fortunate to be a student of Mr. Pu Yulinpu at the museum."

Mr. Meng turned around and pulled out a rare ancient book from the bookcase in the middle of the back. "Comrade Xu, can you tell whose handwriting this rare book is in?"

As soon as Xu Damao saw the binding of the album, he felt that it was a Song edition. He wiped his hands on his pants and carefully flipped through two pages. "Oh my God, I can actually see Liu Gongquan's copy of the Diamond Sutra. This is incredible. Grandpa, is this a Song edition?" Xu Damao carefully put the rare book back on the table and looked at Grandpa Meng.

Mr. Meng did not answer, "Did that kid Guo tell you about my conditions?"

"I've told you, old man, don't worry. As long as I accept them, I will promise to treat them well and regard them as treasures. And if you want to redeem them one day, I can consider it, not to mention that you want to take a look. There is only one thing, old man. I just heard your descendants say in the yard that you will go to Gansu next month at the latest. It is a bitter and cold place. I hope you will take good care of yourself. I promise to protect your room of books and wait for you to come back to visit them. The Diamond Sutra says: The supreme, profound and subtle Dharma is hard to encounter in a hundred thousand kalpas. I have seen and heard it now and I am willing to understand the true meaning of the Tathagata."

"Xu, donor. I accept your advice. Please hurry up and move all the stuff in my room away as soon as possible. The sooner the better. I hope you can treat them well, especially the Buddhist scriptures in this book. There are the Diamond Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, and the Sutra of Infinite Life. I ask you to protect them well. If I can come back one day, I will redeem them. But the possibility is very small. I hope you can return them to their original places in the future. This will be a great merit."

"Grandpa, I promise you. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"This house is priceless to me, but it's worth very little now. Just give me some resettlement fees. How about one thousand?"

Xu Damao knew that Mr. Meng's asking for one thousand was a heart-breaking thing, but now there was really no one to take over the things in this house, and if they were sold separately, they would not be worth one thousand. Fortunately, Xu Damao had some vision and responsibility for the future.

"Okay, old man, I'll send someone over tomorrow with one thousand. I still hope that you can redeem me in the future."

"Okay, that's it. I'm tired. Please ask Mr. Xu to come and take over tomorrow."

Old Master Meng had a dead look on his face, and Xu Damao knew that his inner struggle had reached its peak. Xu Damao and Guo Jiawei quietly left the study, and there was actually a group of people standing at the door, both men and women, old and young.

Brother Meng, who he met just after entering the yard, quickly closed the door of the study and sent Xu Damao and Guo Jiawei to the yard. "Brother Xu, I heard what my father said in the study. I will wait for you at home tomorrow. For safety reasons, it is best to split up into several trips. You take my father's books first, and then take the others. Alas, ... the world is difficult, this time it really cost my father his life."