As he said this, Scholar ng placed a bottle on the table and said with a smile, "It’s with this kind of bottle that hunters place peanuts inside and then leave. Monkeys love peanuts, so they co to find the bottle and reach inside to grab the peanuts.
"However, the design of the bottle’s opening is ingenious; if their hand is open, they can reach in and out without obstruction. But once their hand clenches into a fist, it gets stuck in the bottle, unable to escape. At this mont, the hunter appears, and the monkey has two choices."
At this point, Scholar ng turned to Zhao Zhitong and asked, "Young girl, can you tell what the two choices for the monkey are?"
Zhao Zhitong blinked and thought for a while, saying, "Either the monkey gives up the peanuts in the bottle, relaxes its palm, and can pull its claw out of the bottle to escape the hunter’s capture. Or, the monkey is unwilling to give up the peanuts in the bottle and is caught by the hunter, losing its freedom."
Scholar ng patted Zhao Zhitong’s head. "Well said. That’s exactly it. However, in the end, the monkey chooses not to give up the peanuts and is eventually caught by the hunter, losing its freedom."
At this mont, Zhao Zhitong’s eyes reddened as she looked at her Teacher. "But, Teacher, if the monkey broke the bottle, could it get the peanuts and escape from the hunter?"
The Teacher chuckled. "You’re right, young girl. Today, I am telling you about ncius’s *The Fish I Desire*, not to say that the two options are necessarily mutually exclusive, but to emphasize how we should make choices when we don’t have the ability to break the hunter’s bottle."
Zhao Zhitong blinked and looked at the Teacher. "Teacher, I understand. It’s like when I really want to play while studying. But if I go play, I won’t be able to listen to your lectures, and I value your lessons more, so I give up playing."
Scholar ng laughed happily and nodded in satisfaction.
At this ti, Qiao Muchen was still in deep thought, only snapping back to reality when the Teacher called him.
Scholar ng said, "Qiao Muchen, co, tell us your understanding."
After pursing his lips, Qiao Muchen said, "Teacher, I believe that choosing and sacrificing are relative. For example, I want to study with you and also practice martial arts with Mr. ng to strengthen my body. However, ti at the school is limited each day. If I go to practice martial arts with Mr. ng, I cannot attend your class at the sa ti. But since I don’t want to give up either, I wonder: could I give up my usual playti to practice martial arts and exercise instead?"
The Teacher stroked his beard and laughed. "Well done, well done. Thinking about how to break the bottle is indeed another way to approach it. What I am teaching you today, you will surely encounter in your lives in the future. When that ti cos, you must think carefully about my words: whether to choose or to sacrifice."
The two children talked with the Teacher in his study for a long ti. By the ti they ca out after their special lesson, Zhao Yu had already finished his martial arts practice and was there to pick her up.
Seeing Zhao Zhitong and the others coming out of the Teacher’s study, Zhao Yu hurried over, took his sister’s hand, and asked, "Little sister, do you want to go to Little Master Qiao’s house to read, or go watch Uncle catch river snails?"
Zhao Zhitong was taken aback. "Catch river snails?"
Zhao Yu nodded. "Yeah, little sister, don’t you rember? Tomorrow is a rest day, and didn’t you say that your classmates are coming over to our house for dinner?"
Zhao Zhitong suddenly rembered that tomorrow was a rest day and couldn’t help but be very excited. "Wow, ti flies!"
Then she turned to Qiao Muchen and asked, "Qiao Muchen, do you want to go with and watch my dad catch river snails?"
"Sure, sure," Qiao Muchen agreed, nodding but wondering, "Can these river snails be eaten? I’ve never seen anyone eat them before."
Zhao Zhitong nodded. "Yes, they can be eaten, and they’re super delicious. They can be made into Liuzhou river snails rice noodle. I’ll have my mom make it for you tomorrow. It’s really delicious."
The group chatted and laughed as they ran towards the river.
When they arrived, Zhao Dong had already collected a large basin of fried snails and was busy catching fish in the river.
Since the villagers didn’t usually eat fried snails, the river snails were very plentiful, and it was easy to collect a basinful.
However, fish were harder to catch. He had been trying for a long ti but hadn’t caught any.
"Daddy, there’s a big fish behind you, behind your leg!"
Zhao Zhitong stood on the shore, constantly exclaiming. If Zhao Yu hadn’t been holding her back, she would have charged into the river to help her father catch fish.
However, their commotion attracted many villagers. As they passed by on their way ho from the fields, they stood by the river and curiously watched for a while.
Villagers often went to the river to catch fish, so Zhao Dong’s fishing was nothing unusual. However, nobody had ever eaten fried snails, and they were surprised to see the large basin of fried snails by the shore.
One kind-hearted person advised Zhao Dong that these snails couldn’t be eaten and that he should stop collecting them.
Zhao Dong laughed and said, "It’s fine, we just want to try frying them at ho."
The person shook their head. "These things are very hard to eat. We had to eat them during a famine when there was no food. They’re full of dirt and extrely unpalatable. Don’t waste oil and salt on them."
Zhao Dong said, "It’s okay, Aunty. We’ll just give it a try, and maybe it’ll be delicious."
Seeing that Zhao Dong wouldn’t listen to reason, the old woman said nothing more.
However, the news of Zhao Dong catching river snails to eat spread throughout the village.
Many people said that Zhao Dong’s family was so poor that they could only eat river snails.
But then people rembered, hadn’t their tofu business made a lot of money?
At this point, a gossipy person explained, "You really don’t know? Zhao Dong redeed the young girl sold by the Zhu Clan. I heard it cost one hundred and fifty taels of silver! How could their family have any money left? I bet they’re in debt."
"My God, is this true? One hundred and fifty taels! The Zhao Dong family is really generous; he’s truly done right by his brother!"
"Hah! In my opinion, they’re just fools. He’s already taken in his brother’s two sons, which is enough to repay his brother. Why bother spending so much money to bring back a young girl? TSK, TSK. Just you wait; their family probably won’t make it through this winter."
"Didn’t they just harvest new grain? They should be able to make it."
"That’s not necessarily true. The state is about to collect taxes soon, and I heard Zhao Dong’s family only has 20 mu of land, with more than half of it being poor quality. After paying taxes, they’ll really have to struggle! I advise you all to keep your distance from their family for a while, lest you get taken advantage of when they’re desperate."
As for the villagers’ discussions, Zhao Dong and his family naturally had no idea and were happily returning ho at that mont.
Just now, ng Fusheng had co over and helped Zhao Dong catch two fish, which made Zhao Zhitong very happy.
At this ti, Zhao Zhitong and Zhao Yu were each holding a fish, while Zhao Dong carried a full basin of river snails. The three chatted and laughed as they hurried ho.
At this mont, Mrs. Wang, who had just finished chatting with soone on the street, t Zhao Dong and the others as she walked to her door. She had already heard on the street that Zhao Dong’s family was so poor they had started eating river snails.
When she saw Zhao Dong holding a basin of river snails, her face imdiately showed disgust. She quickly walked toward her house, entered, and slamd the door shut with a loud bang, as if she were afraid Zhao Dong would ask her for money.
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