Chapter 834

At this moment I walked up to He Zuming,

pulled out a cigarette and tossed it to He Zuming,

"He Zuming, from now on, where will our land be?"

He Zuming took it,

"Tianma is the Qian trigram, matching you. Let's choose this place."

"As for the location, let's give a rough idea now."

"Let's go, we head inside."

I followed He Zuming deeper into the mountain, walking about two hundred meters.

He Zuming stopped.

Then he found a stone and sat down to rest,

"Jianqiang, you are thinking about affairs after death, I am thinking about them too."

"Look here, it's just right. Over there is a valley; the wind comes from that side and exits here."

"There's a spring nearby,"

"This is a living place."

"Fengshui, as they say, is a place with both wind and water."

"It's a good place."

"Jianqiang, when the time comes, I'll leave first and leave my old bones here," He Zuming sighed.

"He Zuming, it's wonderful that you came to accompany us," I said with a happy laugh.

"Jianqiang, this spot is off the main road, doesn't affect traffic, and is very tranquil.

Those climbing the mountain won't notice this place,

From here we can see the whole Beishan.

"Having such a peaceful place in old age, I really don't want to leave," He Zuming also laughed.

"He Zuming, after Mantousi is built, how about giving it to you for retirement?" I said.

"Jianqiang, a temple serves monks, but we follow the Dao.

We're not of the same family. So, where there's a temple, there should be a Daoist shrine; build a Daoist temple not too far away.

Just beyond that forest will do.

"I've already decided on a name; it'll be called Attain One Hall," He Zuming said seriously.

"I guarantee we'll follow He Zuming's requirements, and later we'll invite He Zuming to sit in the hall and give a sermon," I said.

"What to preach? Here we can cast a trigram, examine a character, which can earn a lot of money, boost Beishan's reputation, and expand tourism projects.

Similarly, I've also found a place for retirement."

"Jianqiang, then it's settled: the retirement matters are handled, the after‑life matters are handled, life is without attachments," He Zuming laughed loudly.

"He Zuming, for this spot, later I'll have Shi Jinhe fence it off so no one takes it," I said.

"Fine, we just need to know about it. Let's go, let's get off the car. At our age, a few steps up the mountain makes us gasp."

"Xiao Yan, your compass work is still unprofessional; you need more practice," He Zuming said to Xiao Yan.

"The master said the large direction is easy to find, but I can't pin down the small direction," Xiao Yan said.

"There's no small; only the big comes.

Big is vague, small is precise.

You must remember, the vague relies on imagination, the precise must rely on calculation.

"Xiao Yan, you read few books, so your imagination can't keep up," He Zuming told Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan kept nodding.

Our party soon descended the mountain.

We arrived at the car.

I said to He Zuming, "He Zuming, we'll also go to the Gucheng Qiang in Xue County to see, and stay the night at the Xueguo Dajiudian in Xue County."

"I'll follow Jianqiang's arrangement. I have no objection," He Zuming laughed.

"Li Jia, later tell Cui Chengshan to set a table at the Xueguo Dajiudian tonight, and also invite Shi Jinhe, Xiao Shitou, and Xixi."

"Some matters need a little arrangement."

"Alright, Mr. Zhao, I'll arrive in Xue County to arrange it," Li Jia said.

Our party soon arrived again at the Gucheng Qiang in Xue County.

In just a few days, the trees around the wall have been cleared.

Without the stray trees, the place looks much more comfortable.

We got out of the car.

Just then, Shi Jinhe was already leading a construction crew, clearing some stray trees from the Gucheng Qiang.

Seeing us arrive, he ran over,

"Yo, He Zuming, you're here.

Brother, why didn't you give a heads‑up earlier?"

"Why notify you, to arrange a welcome ceremony? Have you been to the design institute?" I laughed.

"I went, conveyed my ideas to those experts; they're considering how to redesign the plans. Before the drawings are released, I first led people to clear the Gucheng Qiang."

"Alas, this is all we have left," Shi Jinhe sighed.

"It's good enough that anything remains. Jinghe, you know how many wars and natural disasters we've endured; having this stretch of Gucheng Qiang is already great."

"Let's go up and take a look," He Zuming said.

I had Shi Jinhe help He Zuming climb up the ancient city wall.

I pulled Xiao Yan, Li Jia, and the others,

Then we all went up onto the ancient city wall.

This surface is all packed earth.

Although part of it has been cleared, you can see that the ancient construction quality is truly outstanding.

Over two thousand years of wind and rain have battered it.

I didn't expect the ancient wall to still be so solid.

Moreover, no dust was raised.

He Zuming walked slowly here,

We followed behind.

He looked around.

He then had Xiao Yan take out a compass to determine the direction.

After a moment he said, "This should be the outer wall. Its main function is defense."

The inner city would certainly be straight; look, this wall isn't straight—it follows that ridge.

I walked up to He Zuming,

and told him my idea in full.

He Zuming nodded,

"Jianqiang, your idea is good; that's right. History and culture should be excavated this way, otherwise they'll just stay buried in the dust of history."

You know, many interesting stories have happened here,

such as stealing a chicken to sneak past a dog, or volunteering oneself like Mao Sui, and so on.

Just talking about it doesn't convey the feeling; if it were performed, it would be different.

Other ancient states also need to be revived here.

Jianqiang, I admire you.

After more than two thousand years, what wisdom did our ancients use to build their cities and homes?

The sages left behind brilliant thoughts that still influence our lives today.

I believe Confucius once passed through here in a carriage back then.

He must have started his journey to tour the states from this point.

He Zuming stroked his beard and sighed.

"The ancients did not see the moon of today, but today's moon once shone on the ancients. Master, do you mean this?" Xiao Yan said from the side.

"Haha, there's some truth to that, but not entirely."

"The Master said by the river, 'Those who pass away are like this.'"

Jianqiang, have you ever thought about this?

We are merely passersby in this life,

After many years, we will be gone, but the ancient city wall will still remain.

At that time, others will come to mourn the past.

Time just flies by like this. How nice.

Today, this day was truly worthwhile.

Confucius said, 'To hear the Dao in the morning is enough to die content in the evening.'

Some great paths in life—only when you truly grasp them is death not regrettable.

On this trip today, I too have grasped the Dao.

I don't know what He Zuming has realized, but standing here I can clearly feel the wind blowing in my face, carrying a heavy feeling.

We are all quietly watching this place.

Actually, in some places there are too many people, which makes it less interesting.

Once the tourist area is developed, more people will come; then this ancient wall won't be freely accessible—it will need protection.

Then we won't be able to sense this ancient atmosphere anymore.

After coming down from the ancient city wall,

I had Shi Jinhe join us, and we went to Xueguo Dajiudian for dinner in the evening.

We returned to Xueguo Dajiudian.

Li Jia began contacting Cui Chengshan, urging him to come as soon as possible.

Xixi and Xiao Shitou also came back from outside,

Everyone, we happen to gather together in the evening to have a good chat,

about the work of these days. We can voice all our ideas.