Fighting to destiny

Chapter 2 Drawing Lots (Page 1/2)

Zhang Xiaozu took the white cloth and spread it on his palm. He saw three words written on it. He didn't know many words, but he just knew these three words because they were his name: Zhang Xiaozu.

The handwriting was beautiful, and it seemed to be written by a woman.

For some reason, when Zhang Xiaozu saw these three words, his heart suddenly twitched, as if it was held tightly by a big hand, painful and suffocating. He looked up at the old village chief eagerly. He knew that these three words must be related to his biological parents.

The old village chief seemed to know what Zhang Xiaozu was thinking. He nodded at him and said, "These three words were indeed left by your relatives, but they were not written on this white cloth, but written on the ground with fingers instead of pens. I think this is the only clue related to your identity, so I copied it and traced it on this white cloth. Today you are an adult, so I will give it to you for personal safekeeping." "Thank you, Grandpa Village Chief." Zhang Xiaozu kowtowed heavily, holding the white cloth, and couldn't help but feel a sour nose and red eyes. This was the first time in his life that he felt that his parents really existed. The old village chief stroked his beard and continued, "I see the handwriting is beautiful and soft, so I guess it should be left by your mother. Please keep it well and don't dirty it. It is the key to finding relatives and ancestors in the future. As the saying goes, parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run. Your parents abandoned you here, perhaps out of some helplessness and forced to do so, which was the best choice they could make for you at the time. To put it another way, even if it is not, you should not be angry with them or hate them. Life in the world is only a few decades, so you should live happily and freely, and should not live in resentment and hatred. Do you understand?"

"Thank you for your teachings, village chief, I understand." Zhang Xiaozu nodded vigorously and remembered every word of the old village chief in his heart. He folded the white cloth, tore off a piece of cloth from his body to wrap it up, and then put it in his arms.

"This is the first thing I want to tell you, and the next is the second thing." The old village chief said, "Today you have grown up, and you should take a courtesy name, but your parents are not here, so we can't decide for you. I have to ask your opinion. Should we take it today or wait until you find your parents?"

"Of course I will take it today." Zhang Xiaozu said without hesitation, "Although my biological parents are not here, my relatives are all here, so how can I not take the decision? I hope the elders will give you a name."

"In this case, I will give you a courtesy name." The old village chief nodded and said, "From now on, your name will be Zhang Xiaozu, and your courtesy name will be Dayong. After taking off your armor, you can go to the fields to farm, and when you go into battle, you can attack cities and break land, kill enemies, and capture kings. You will be of great use."

"Little soldier Dayong." Zhang Xiaozu said softly, and his eyes lit up. He kowtowed and thanked: "Thank you for the name, elder."

"Haha, good." The old village chief nodded and said, "You will be named Zhang Xiaozu, and your courtesy name will be Dayong. After taking off your armor, you can go to the fields to farm, and when you go into battle, you can attack cities and break land, kill enemies, and capture kings. You will be of great use."

"Little soldier Dayong." Zhang Xiaozu muttered softly, and his eyes lit up. He kowtowed and thanked: "Thank you for the name, elders."

"Haha, good." The old village chief chief nodded with satisfaction. He had thought of this after thinking hard for several days and nights. Seeing that Zhang Xiaozu liked it, he was very happy and said, "The next thing is the third thing. Since you have taken a courtesy name, you should be included in the family tree. People in the world should have roots and a home, not like duckweed. Logically, you should find your biological parents and return to your ancestors. But the road to finding your biological parents is endless. You may find them in one day, ten years, or even in your lifetime. What if you can't find them in your lifetime? You grew up in Liujia Village, and this place is considered your home. I have discussed it with the village elders, and they all agree that you should be included in the Liujia Village genealogy, forming your own lineage and branching out. What do you think?"

"Really-really?" Zhang Xiaozu looked at the old village chief in disbelief, wondering if he had heard it wrong. The old village chief actually allowed him, an outsider, to be included in the Liujia Village genealogy, and to form his own lineage. It was like a dream.

But you have to know that in this world of strict clans, a rootless person is like a wild man who jumped out of a stone. He will be despised and scorned wherever he goes. Even if he is captured as a slave or even beaten to death in the street, no one will say a word for you. It is as difficult as ascending to heaven for a rootless person to take root and be included in the genealogy.

"Really." The old village chief nodded.

Bang bang bang——

Zhang Xiaozu kowtowed nine times firmly, choking with excitement and said: "It was all arranged by the village chief grandfather and the elders in the village. Great kindness, Zhang Dayong will never forget it in this life."

"Okay, okay, I hope you can get married soon and have many children." The old village chief gave his blessing.

Zhang Xiaozu had tears in his eyes, and suddenly hugged Niu Dawa who was kneeling beside him, and shouted happily: "Dawa, I have roots! I have roots! Haha——"

"Haha——You have roots! You have roots! Haha——" Dawa was happy with him, laughing and shouting together.

"I, Zhang Dayong, have roots!" Zhang Xiaozu roared to the sky, as if to tell the whole world.

After Zhang Xiaozu calmed down from his excitement, the old village chief took a willow branch in his hand, circled Zhang Xiaozu and Niu Dawa, and tapped them lightly with the willow branch, saying: "You two have become adults today, you should remember the grace of your parents for giving birth to you and filial piety first, shoulder your responsibilities and be brave to take on them, be fearless of difficulties and be brave to fight, make contributions to benefit people and the world, and live a happy life without regrets. I don't ask you to do good deeds every day, but you must do good as a human being."

"Remember the teachings of the elders!" Zhang Xiaozu and Niu Dawa kowtowed.

"Okay, get up." The old village chief said.

The two stood up and saluted, returning to the crowd with the excitement of adults.

The old village chief knocked on the ground with his cane, put away his smile, and returned to the solemnity of offering sacrifices to the sky. Everyone knew what the village chief was going to say next, and they couldn't help but quiet down. The sudden change in the atmosphere made the child, who was still unaware of the trouble, look at his parents in bewilderment, and what he got was a gesture from his parents to keep quiet.

"No hunting in spring, no logging in summer, nurturing the mountains and forests, raising children and grandchildren. The teachings of our ancestors have been passed down from generation to generation, and no one has dared to violate them for more than 600 years. I never thought that it would be destroyed in our hands. Alas--" The old village chief sighed, extremely sad and upset, but then smiled with relief and said, "The teachings are dead, but people are alive. If you follow the teachings, you will die, and if you make adjustments, you will live. I think our ancestors will understand and forgive us. Okay, stop talking nonsense and get straight to the point. Drought is rampant, and the government doesn't care whether we live or die. If we want to survive, we can only find a way out ourselves. Our Liujia Village has been... We make a living by farming and hunting. Now that we can’t farm anymore, hunting is the only way left. So if we want to survive, we have to go into the mountains to hunt. Every household’s grain tank is empty, and some have even eaten it all. So there is no time to lose. We have to select a hunting team today and go into the mountains tomorrow. "

"Old village chief, just call the names directly. No one will frown when they are called."

"Yes. Drawing lots is too troublesome."

The villagers of Liujia Village are all friendly and united. The more difficult the situation, the more they can hold together and not distinguish between themselves.

The old village chief waved his hand and said, "It is unfair to be arbitrary. Let's draw lots. Of course, there are a few people who cannot participate in the drawing of lots. The only son in the family, the wife is pregnant, the married man has no children, the minors, the over 50 years old, and the weak and sick. I know every household well, and no one can get away with it. "