All your life is gentle

All day long on the seventh day of the lunar month, the emperor and the officials discussed countermeasures while nervously waiting for news from all parties.Kuai Ma had already left the city, and went to the Ruijian camp in the north, west, and south for help.

Some courtiers comforted the emperor: the Xirong army came from the east, maybe the barbarians who had surrounded Yuntou Pass before did not know that the two countries had successfully negotiated peace and acted without authorization.Hurry up and chase the envoys back to the north. Let everyone make it clear that it is purely a misunderstanding, and it will be fine...

How much Zhao Ju hopes that it will be so.However, this misunderstanding was too ugly. He was terrified of the Xirong people in his heart. The horror experience of Yanyang being besieged in the past and fleeing in a hurry recurred again. After the initial loss, His Majesty the Emperor could only use Crazy fury to cover up the panic in his heart.The officials were not much better, some quick-witted ones, taking advantage of the confusion, sneaked home to pack up their belongings.

In any case, under the auspices of the Grand Master and General Jin Wu, the defense of the city was finally implemented quickly.Except for Donghe Gate, which is heavily guarded, Bei'an Gate and Xiping Gate have been blocked.The soldiers of the Imperial Guard Division and the imperial guards were all over the key points in the city, and a large number of the inner court guards and Lifang Division gathered in the palace to protect the emperor and the prince.As for the Nanding Gate leading to the Luanzhangyuan Palace, it is just a decorative archway. The real gate is at Nanshan Pass.There were [-] soldiers from the Lingguang Guard of the Ruijian Camp stationed there, as well as some imperial guards guarding the palace.The Chief of Staff is discussing whether to transfer them all to the city.

The soldiers who asked for help had not yet returned, and the guards of the Donghe Gate sent the letter of persuasion shot to the top of the city to the court meeting.

King Jingbei's letter of persuasion to surrender was directly attached to the edict of Emperor Huarong's order to conquer Shu.

The servant in charge of the reading said tremblingly: "Xia Zuo declined, and the land collapsed. The harsh government is troublesome, and the officials are invading. The life of the people is almost wiped out. I obey the heaven and the people, and I am ordered to practice Zuo..."

After reading a few words, Chen Mengjue and Chen Gelao pointed to the sky and shouted: "The shameless one, nothing worse than this! The shameless one, nothing worse than this!" He spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot.The imperial censors rushed forward to help the elders of the pavilion, and scrambled to beat the barbarians.

The grand master snatched the letter of persuasion and skipped to the last paragraph: "Hua Rong Jingbei King Yu told His Majesty Emperor Jinxia and Xijing generals, officials and people: My lord is about brothers with the Zhao family, and we are eager to meet each other. Your Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince moved to Shunjing to enjoy the family relationship, and my lord will greet you with head and shoulders. Now that the north of Shu and the east of Shu have surrendered, the capital has already surrendered, and the ministers have returned to their original positions. Brothers treat each other with righteousness. The people of Jinxia, ​​that is, our Huarong compatriots, how can we bear to fight against each other and kill each other?..."

Ning Shuyuan gritted his teeth, and couldn't find the right words to express. What he spit out was Chen Mengjue's sentence: "Shameless, nothing worse than this!"

He was about to tear it apart immediately, but was stopped by An Chen: "Grand Master, Your Majesty hasn't read it yet."

He snorted, let go, and pointed at the leaders of the Lifang Division: "Send someone immediately to collect and destroy all this deceptive rumor scattered in the city!" Turning to his son, "Those who ask for help don't have to wait. Send the order, and immediately Set up a curfew, close the city, and stick to it!" Looking at the group of people in disorder like headless chickens, suppressing the fear in his heart, he shouted: "The soldiers of the Western Army haven't started fighting yet, they are messing around, they are all trash! What to do! The Department of Strategy and the Ministry of War will come up with an emergency draft in an hour!"

Zhao Ju let his uncle give orders there, after reading the persuasion letter, he sat on the dragon chair with a dull face.It was only a few days ago that he happily stamped the seal on the peace agreement oath, and the content of the persuasion letter in front of him is really hard to digest.

"Little Anzi... Tell me, what... does this mean?"

"Your Majesty..." An Chen lowered his head and gritted his teeth, "The meaning of this is that Xijing has been surrounded and we want to surrender."

"Xijing... is surrounded... is it true?"

"Your Majesty, the villain doesn't know."

Just at this time, a close friend of Ning Yu rushed in, knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor, but said to Ning Shuyuan: "Master, many people who went out from the north gate and west gate in the morning have retreated one after another, saying yes Both Tuokou Pass and Panqu Pass have been occupied by Xirong people! These people clamored to enter the city, and the general asked, "Are you allowed to enter?"

Zhao Ju yelled nervously: "No one is allowed to enter! No one is allowed to enter!"

Ning Shuyuan immediately said: "At this time, the city gate must not be opened." Still wanting to say something to the emperor, seeing Zhao Ju's pale face, he turned to An Chen: "Let Your Majesty rest well, the old man will come back later."

Walking to the entrance of the main hall, I suddenly heard a call from behind: "Uncle!"

Ning Shuyuan turned around, looked at the lonely figure of his nephew from a distance, nodded silently, and went to the Cefusi.As I walked, I remembered the last few words of the persuasion letter: "... Please His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince move to Shunjing to enjoy the family relationship... Yousi will return to his original position, and the people's livelihood will be appeased..."

snort!Very poisonous savage.A peace negotiation made Xijing unprepared, but now he says that as long as the emperor and prince surrenders, the subordinates will keep their wealth and honor, and they will not be held accountable.If this letter of persuasion to surrender spreads, knowing that the other party has no faith, I'm afraid there are some people secretly plotting, waiting to return to their original positions under the hands of King Jingbei...

It's just - the grand master is like the supreme emperor, how can he descend?How to escape?Keep... until how long?

The hall, which was noisy just a moment ago, suddenly became deserted and gloomy. Zhao Ju took An Chen's hand: "Xiao Anzi..."

Come out of Chenghui Hall and walk towards Zichen Hall, followed by a large group of maid servants.Seeing groups of soldiers lined up, the emperor felt a little more at ease.

Until midnight, there was no new news from the Grand Master.

Zhao Ju suffered from insomnia very rarely, walking up and down in the bedroom.All the waiters withdrew, only An Chen accompanied him.

Suddenly, there was a soft "squeak", and a person walked in the door, rushed straight in front of the emperor, fell to his knees, hugged his legs and cried loudly: "Your Majesty—"

Fu Chuqing was covered in mud and blood, in an unspeakable misery, lying at Zhao Ju's feet and wailing: "I thought... I thought... I would never see Your Majesty again..."

The eighth day of July.

In the morning, after Zi Shi got up, he walked around the tent for a few times, and watched from a distance how General Ni practiced his subordinate Erlang.

It rained in the middle of the night, and the grass was slippery. Chang Sheng carefully supported him while walking.The guards trained by Ni Jian fell all over their bodies in mud, and were often kicked directly into the stream by the commander, causing their companions to burst into laughter.

These soldiers include Xirong people and Xia people, except for their different faces and looks, at first glance, there is no difference.Although after the baptism of the Northeast battlefield, most soldiers are not very good at mountain warfare, and the special terrain and climate of Shuzhou are constantly adapting.Zi Shi knew that this was deliberately taking advantage of the mud after the rain for special training.

Pat your head, what are you thinking about?Out of sight, out of sight, right to watch a wrestling show.

After a while of activities, I drank half a bowl of porridge - the wild mushrooms were shredded and boiled in it. It was delicious.

The twins accompanied the elder brother for a walk, watched wrestling, and ate, and then the four of them naturally sat around in the tent.Zigui put pen and ink in his hand, spread out "Zheng Ya", turned to the page that was abandoned halfway the previous day, and waited for his elder brother to give a lecture.

Before the eldest brother spoke, Zizhou sneaked a glance at Gu Changsheng next to him.Didn't he bring troops to besiege?Why is it so idle like a picnic?snort……

Zi Shi drank his saliva and asked his sister, "Which one should I get?"

"Chapter 28, "Gentleman's Proverbs Four": "A gentleman is proud but not arrogant, and a villain is arrogant but not prosperous.The gentleman is harmonious but different, and the villain is the same but not harmonious.Gentlemen don't compare each other, and villains don't compare each other.A gentleman is a group but not a party, and a villain is a party but not a group.If a gentleman has courage but no righteousness, he will be chaotic; if a villain has courage but no righteousness, he will be robbers.A gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness, and he thinks of righteousness when he sees profit; a villain is a metaphor for profit, and he forgets righteousness when he sees profit...""

The more Zigui read, his voice became quieter, each sentence brought back countless memories, so he stopped talking and looked at his elder brother.

Zi Shi raised his chin, stared blankly for a moment, looked at the other three, and laughed, "Why such a coincidence?"

——This paragraph is exactly what the four of them discussed in depth when they sat in the guest room of Huafu, Yonghuai County, Chuzhou.

If it weren't for Zi Zhou's understanding of the progress and method of the eldest brother's work, he would have suspected that this situation was a carefully planned collusion by the two big brothers, just to sway him.

Zishi thought about it: "I remember that the first few articles are almost written, Zigui, don't you think so?"

Zigui bowed his head and counted: "Well, it's time for the sixth article: "A gentleman refers to righteousness, and when he sees benefit, he thinks about righteousness; a villain refers to profit, and when he sees benefit, he forgets righteousness."

"That's right, I only made up two exegesis yesterday, and when I was about to start, Zhang interrupted. Just right, let's start with this sentence."

The text and annotations of the book use different fonts.Each paragraph of the text is divided into several articles, and the notes under each article include three parts: collation and exegesis, collections of interpretations by various scholars, and analysis by the author.The first two items have been completed in the process of making up the school, and now we are mainly working on the third item.

Zishi tilted his head habitually, and said while thinking: "A gentleman is a villain, I have already analyzed it in the previous article, so I don't need to repeat it. This sentence, most people understand, is nothing more than a gentleman seeking morality and a villain greedy for money. So everyone talked and talked. , and accidentally divided righteousness and profit into two sides. In fact, the sage has long said: "A gentleman loves money, and he gets it in a proper way." Should it be taken or not, I didn’t say that it must not be taken. It’s hypocritical to pretend to be noble. It’s not that the villain is completely ignorant of morals, but it’s just that the interests are in the moment, and it is easy to be blinded by the benefits, so he forgets righteousness when he sees the benefits.

"—In the final analysis, there is no problem with righteousness and benefit itself; the difference between a gentleman and a villain does not lie in the love of righteousness or the love of benefit, but in the fact that when facing interests, one's mind is clear, whether one can abide by principles or not Hold back your greed."

The other three listened to what Ji Zishi said, so they knew the way he opened his mouth to discuss things.He always speaks right and wrong in front of people, so in front of these three audiences, he will openly reveal his likes and dislikes and make judgments.But every time at this time, the sour and rotten temperament of a scholar, a maniac and a literati in the bones of the bones is bound to break out. It's called reserved.

Zi Zhou had already pricked up his ears and waited.The good students who have been trained by Zi Shi have just developed the good habit of discerning and thinking carefully.Hearing my elder brother's views, I can't help but think positively, connect with reality, combine myself, and explore the deep meaning.So he reflexively thought of those court gentlemen in Xijing who were full of morality and righteousness, but actually scorned their righteousness. They were all villains in essence.

Zigui picked up his pen: "Brother, do you want to write this paragraph?"

"This paragraph? Just talk about it, it's just an opening remark, don't write it."

"Oh……"

Zi Shi got excited and knocked on the table: "Then, why do sages advocate thinking of righteousness when they see profit, and oppose forgetting righteousness when they see profit?"

--Uh?

Isn't it just right and proper not to forget righteousness for profit?Why else?

For a while even Changsheng was questioned, and the three looked at each other.

The speaker made the question concrete: "Why do you think about whether you should take it when facing benefits? Not whether you can take it, do you want to take it? It's inconvenient to take it, do you like it? ——In other words, why do people insist on taking it? Control your greed?"

Zi Shi was originally asking a question, but while he was drinking water and panting for breath, Zi Gui had already answered: "I think... this is the same as the principle of "being able to kill but not being addicted to killing". Control greed, In the final analysis, it is what my elder brother once said: keep your heart. If people can’t control their greed, they will definitely be backlashed by it, and they will not sink well.”

The other two nodded.

"Okay. That is to say, the sage wants everyone to think of righteousness when they see profit, because it is dangerous to forget righteousness when seeing profit. Note that it is not that pursuing profit is dangerous, but that pursuing profit is not righteous, that is, it is improper to pursue injustice. It is only the interests that should be regarded as inability to keep one’s heart, the only danger. Because after seeing the benefits and forgetting righteousness, they must be mercenary and use unscrupulous means. In the end, it is inevitable that everyone will betray their relatives and lose their reputation. It is a pity that most people can see the benefits in front of them, but they can’t think of the danger of the end The predecessors said: "There is more behind you and you forget to shrink your hands, and there is no way to turn back in front of you", this is what it means."

The topic changed: "From this point of view, seeing benefit and thinking of righteousness is just to avoid harm. Isn't the so-called "righteousness" a kind of "benefit"?"

At this time Zizhou interjected: "Brother, there are people who are not like this."

Changsheng thought: I have really grown up, and I am no longer as frizzy as before.

Zi Shi nodded: "There is such a kind of people who don't need to see the danger and evil consequences. They have internalized morality into a voluntary code of conduct and pursued it as a belief. They are always vigilant so as not to go astray. They think righteousness when they see profit, no To avoid harm, but to do good, so he doesn't care about actual benefits. This kind of person is a true gentleman."

Hearing this, Zizhou thought of Hua Zhaobai, adoptive father, biological father, Mrs. Wang, Brother Xi... Finally, he hesitated whether to add himself.

"This kind of people, no matter how great the benefits are, they can't abandon the morality in their hearts, and even pay the price of their lives. Because what they seek is peace of mind, openness, and worth.

"Most of them often have an unavoidable desire: to live without shame and to leave a name after death. Even if it cannot be realized at that time, most of them have this belief in their hearts: to live forever, to be admired by future generations, and history will eventually give fair justice Evaluation. This kind of belief is originally one of its internal drives, the so-called "gentleman died without a name". It can be seen that, to a certain extent, the so-called "righteousness" here is also for them. Isn't it a kind of "profit"?"

"Brother!" Zi Zhou had an opinion.

Zi Shi waved his hand: "For profit, human desires. Some people seek fame and wealth, and some seek benevolence, righteousness and morality. They are all just to fulfill their desires. Since they want what they want, why can't they say profit? The sage never said not to seek profit, but It depends on how you ask and what kind of profit you ask for. If you are not convinced, you can go back and make a note, and no one will stop you."

Zizhou choked.

Zigui dipped in ink: "Brother, can you write this paragraph?"

"This paragraph? We haven't reached the point yet, so don't count."

"Oh..." Zigui held up the pen for a long time, but he simply put it down without writing a single word.

Zi Shi spread his hands: "However, there are not many hypocrites in this world, let alone real gentlemen? To be good because of being good requires pure talent. To be able to do good to avoid harm is already good enough. So, " A gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness", "a villain is a metaphor for profit", the key lies in the word "metaphor".

"Yu Zhe, Gao Ye, Xiao Ye. Only a few people with high aptitude and high potential can talk to him morally, and he can understand the benefits of thinking about righteousness and the disadvantages of forgetting righteousness after seeing profit, and he can follow suit. This is regarded as a gentleman. For the vast majority of ordinary people, what is easy to understand and work is "benefit."

Pat Changsheng's chest: "That's why, brother Changsheng, farming in the north and southeast counties, the results are so quick - the sage has a saying: "If you benefit from the people, you will work without complaint. No fee". In just a few years, the former Jinxia people basically don't bother anymore. Because the Emperor Jinxia only left them a vain moral name, and they have to rely on the Huarong court for immediate benefits. Including The surrender of General Dingyuan, all the changes in the situation in the north of Shu and the east of Shu, the root causes are all here."

Unexpectedly, the eldest brother suddenly cited such an example.Actually, if you don't say anything, you just go straight to the end without leaving any room. The twins' expressions are a little stiff.

After a while of silence, Zigui said slowly, "Brother, according to what you said... I have a question."

"Ok?"

"You said before that if you forget righteousness when you see benefits, you are often in danger of being overthrown. Therefore, those who think of righteousness when they see benefits mostly avoid harm. However, in the situation mentioned here, those who think of righteousness when they see benefits are mostly dead. Those who forget their righteousness, live a good life instead..."

Zi Shi nodded: "According to your understanding, it is indeed the case. There have always been people who have complained that they may not have a good death when they see benefits and forget righteousness. People may have different standards for good and bad results. This is another issue. Let’s not talk about it for now. As we said earlier, ignorance of righteousness, that is, improper pursuit of undue interests. Your question is precisely related to what is unjust pursuit and what is undue interest. "

Concentrate on thinking for a moment: "Well, it's not easy to explain clearly... Well, let me ask you first: If an ordinary Jinxia citizen, in order to survive, gives up resistance and turns around and becomes a Huarong citizen, is it considered "seeing a profit"? Forgetfulness"?"

"..."

"Not sure? Okay, let me ask again: Bai Qi, the commander of the Jinxia Navy, surrendered to Huarong, is it considered a sleazy act?"

"Of course!" The twins affirmed in unison.

"Then, let me ask one more question: Shangshu Pu of Jinxia shoots Li Fang, not only turning the negotiation into a surrender, but also helping the other party to destroy his own monarchy. Is it considered selfishness?"

Zi Zhou suddenly got up: "Brother!"

Chang Sheng stretched out his hand to take Zi Shi over: "This is not good, this is a special case."

Zi Shi leaned on him and smiled: "It's also...it's a mess, it can't be used as an argument."

Think about it: "Change to a normal one. For example, Master Zhan Shizhuang under the command of King Jingbei, and General Ni, the commander of the personal guards, you all know each other. They are all Xia people, but now they are officials in Xirong. Is it considered to be ungrateful for profit?"

"certainly……"

Seeing that his younger siblings only spoke half a sentence, Zi Shi asked, "Of course? Or of course not?"

The twins wanted to say yes, but they felt that they couldn't make such a simple assertion.But if you want to put yourself in the position and change your position to consider, it is really a bit unwilling.

At this time, Zi Shi said slowly: "It is understandable for an ordinary Jinxia citizen to surrender to Huarong in order to survive. Because survival is the most basic way of heaven. No matter how great the morality is, it should not deprive people of their rights." This is the minimum right of being a human being.

"Then, like Bai Qi, the many Jinxia officials who surrendered also did it to survive, to survive? There are at least two differences here. First, officials and ordinary people have different statuses, powers and responsibilities. The standards of benefit and righteousness should be different. Second, how many people, like Bai Qi, turn around and harm their compatriots in order to live and live well for themselves—once self-interest starts to harm others, it is the source of evil.

"As for Zhuang Zhan's matter, General Ni, the reason why it is difficult to comment is because you know that the benefits they seek and the righteousness they hold are different from your own, and it is not a simple sentence of forgetting righteousness for profit. So it comes back to the question itself. : What kind of profit to seek, what kind of righteousness to uphold, in the final analysis, it is a matter of personal choice. Heh... After talking for a long time, it seems to be all nonsense... But—”

Pause: "Water."

Changsheng saw that the bowl was empty.Zizhou was standing upright, so he just brought the pot and came over to add it.

Zigui saw half a bowl of white water and asked, "Didn't Ah Wen and Ah Zhang bring any tea?"

"I brought them with me at the beginning..." Zi Shi smiled, "As soon as we said we were going on a long trip, Mrs. Han led them to pack up and pack them up. The food, clothes, and clothing were all in two large carts. The day before we left, I commanded them to unload them all, and I found the tea pots on the road." It was Jin Xia who was in a hurry to negotiate a peace, and the envoy was of course in a hurry, not to mention some gifts, so that everyone in the group could travel lightly.

"Things outside the body are optional..." Take a sip from Changsheng's hand, "This mountain spring water is clear and sweet, so there is no need to make tea with it."

Zigui said: "I see a few Chi jasmine plants growing by the stream, why not use them to soak in water..."

"Really? That's not bad. This flower is the freshest among wild flowers. It doesn't change color after a long time of soaking. It's also delicious and beautiful. Well, it's also suitable for cooking porridge."

Changsheng thought: "It's not something outside of the body, is it optional?" Then he told his sister tightly: "Remember to pick it early in the morning, the half-opened ones are the best."

After drinking the water and resting for a while, Zi Shi said to Zi Gui: "It's almost time to get to the point this time, and I can prepare to write."

Sit down and talk: "I just mentioned that what kind of profit to seek and what kind of righteousness to uphold is a matter of personal choice. Since it is a choice, it is often stubborn to choose what is good, and it is useless to say what is right. But I think there are always some basic principles. , can be discussed. Let me talk about it and see if you can agree.

"The sage said: "A gentleman refers to righteousness, and when he sees benefit, he thinks about righteousness; a villain refers to benefit, and when he sees benefit, he forgets righteousness." Let's talk about this sentence from the back to the front.

"Different people have different connotations of profit and righteousness because of their different status, education, knowledge, experience, temperament and desire, etc. There are not only external regulations established by convention, but also active pursuit after their own choice. But in general In other words, where a person's interests are, there is his position. His morality is also there. And vice versa. There is really no need to forcefully distinguish between interests and righteousness. Righteousness, never forget righteousness.

"The starting point of seeing profit and forgetting righteousness is self-interest at the expense of others. The end point of seeing benefit and thinking of righteousness is benefiting others at the expense of self. Just think about it, we have seen so many people, no matter what the interests they face, what they advocate What is righteousness? Isn't it clear at a glance who is benefiting others at the expense of others, and who can benefit others at the expense of self?

"The sage told us: "A villain is a metaphor for profit". If this is the case, then use profit as a metaphor. The so-called profit is used to describe it. To make it, the same principle can also be used to make it safe. The sage said: "If it is common, how can it be added?Rich.If you are rich, how can you add it?teach it. "In other words, we must first let the common people settle down, get rich, and get real benefits, and then we can promote enlightenment and call on everyone to be gentlemen. From this we can see that a qualified emperor and a competent court are at least ineffective. , It must be done to benefit the people and benefit the people, so that it can stand, otherwise it will be replaced sooner or later.”

I thought: Development is the last word.Although both material civilization and spiritual civilization are grasped, no matter what, we must first have food to eat and live in peace.Popularizing education, enlightening the people's wisdom, improving the quality of the people...that's all in the future.

"The sage said that "a gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness", not that a gentleman understands isolated morality, but that a gentleman knows how to distinguish the types of interests, and can correctly choose the interests he seeks and the method of obtaining them. This is the greatest "righteousness". There are so many benefits. To benefit oneself or others? To benefit the family or the country? interests—the interests of the highest good.”

Zizhou hesitated and asked back: "The benefit of the ultimate good...?"

"Yes! The benefit of the best!" He was obviously tired, and he should have finished his speech in one go, but his head started to hurt.Zi Shi rubbed down, closed his eyes, grabbed the hand on his shoulder and put it on his forehead: "Press, press." (Full-automatic intelligent constant temperature voice-activated massage chair...)

He lowered his voice: "To be able to ignore benefits and forget righteousness is to be a good person. Seeing benefits and thinking of righteousness is to be a gentleman. As for disregarding one's body and fame, to gain the benefits of the best, this is to be a saint."

Xu Xuyin said: "The sky is selfless, the earth is selfless, the sun and the moon are selfless, and the sage is selfless. Where there is righteousness, there is where profit is. The great benefit of the world is the great righteousness of the world. The villain is self-interested, not self-interested at the expense of others. Well. A gentleman altruistically seeks fame by altruistically, that is all right. Only a sage follows the way of heaven, keeps his conscience, broadens the benefits of the best, and seeks eternal righteousness..."

Zigui stopped him in a low voice: "Brother, it's too long..."

"Too long? The beginning is all nonsense, just the last few sentences. It's gone."

Suddenly he smiled softly, and laughed at himself: "Zi Zhou, Zi Gui, I think the grand master wanted to force me to be a saint and made me Zhongyi Bo, but I ended up being a hypocrite. But this time, alas—— I am sorry for your eldest brother, who was given the title of immortal by you." Brother dragged on, half pushed, half pushed, and pushed the ducks to the shelves, I'm afraid... I'm going to be a saint..."

Chang Sheng kept a stern face, but he didn't refute, and his fingers couldn't help but get a little heavier.

Zi Shi patted the back of his hand: "It's okay, it's okay, I just want to be a saint, not a Bodhisattva."

The two older ones looked as usual, but the two younger ones understood everything now, and were immediately embarrassed and ashamed.I didn't bother to talk to him about what is perfect or not, so I shouted: "Brother! You..." took the book and walked out.