Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

"Tingnan, have you finished eating? Let's say goodbye to Jinyue and head back to the guesthouse."

"Okay, Master!"

"No, why stay at a guesthouse? Come stay at my place," General Du quickly stopped him.

"No need, General Du, your rules are too much for me to handle!" Gao Haoran said coldly.

"Goodbye, Uncle Zuo! Goodbye, General Du!" Ting Nan followed suit and said goodbye.

"Huh? Where's the 'uncle' you promised?" Du Hexiang's resentful voice came from behind.

Never mind, Master is the most important. Ting Nan will follow Master to find Zuo Jinyue.

The dress Zheng Ruidong made and the sachet his grandmother made were given to Teacher Zuo after they got off the train. Jin Yue didn't lack anything, so Ting Nan followed Gao Haoran and presented a gift to his uncle Song Wanli.

Jin Yue panicked when she saw Ting Nan and the others about to leave, and stopped them, saying, "Ting Nan, Uncle Ah Huo, there's a banquet coming up, you have to attend!"

Ting Nan turned to ask her master for his opinion, "Xiao Yue, let's not leave. Let's take Ting Nan for a walk outside and come back for the banquet later." Gao Haoran didn't want Zuo Jinyue to be unhappy on this joyous day because of him, and he didn't expect to run into an old friend.

"Alright, Uncle Huo, how about I have my cousin be your tour guide?" Jin Yue was relieved; she still had so much to say to them.

Gao Haoran waved his hand, "No need, I've been here before, see you tonight." Then he pulled Ting Nan away, looking rather hurried.

When Ting Nan turned around, General Du was walking over. He quickly followed his master and hurriedly left.

Zuo Renxin followed closely behind, asking, "What happened? Master Gao and Tingnan left?"

"That kid still has the same fiery temper!" Du Hexiang said from the side.

"He Xiang, did you drive Master Gao away?" Zuo Renxin glared at him.

"What? I've been very careful all along," Du Hexiang said, feeling wronged.

“That means you offended him before. Master Gao has a very good personality.” Zuo Renxin sided with Gao Haoran.

“This…this…” Du Hexiang couldn’t explain.

“Father, Uncle, they already told me they would come over for the banquet.” Zuo Jinyue quickly offered a way out.

"That's good! That's good!" Zuo Renxin breathed a sigh of relief. The old man and the young boy were both benefactors to his family.

Ting Nan followed behind Gao Haoran, strolling through this unfamiliar city. She saw many towering buildings and numerous cars. The streets were wide, and the shops on both sides, selling all kinds of goods—clothing, food, housing, and transportation—were thoughtfully designed, with the merchandise neatly arranged.

Gao Haoran kept walking forward, and Ting Nan followed.

Then we arrived at the riverbank. The water was vast, stretching as far as the eye could see, but it was a deep yellow. Boats ply the water, their sails fading into the distance. On the riverbank, people chatted in small groups, relaxed and carefree.

Nan Wuxin looked at the scenery, staring at Gao Haoran's back. Her master seemed very sad, sitting on the shore, with a feeling that he was about to leave far away.

"Master!" Ting Nan cried out hurriedly, somewhat frightened.

Gao Haoran turned his head and looked at Ting Nan, who was squatting beside him. He was a little dazed and it took him a while to speak: "Ting Nan! Look, this is the Huangpu River."

Gao Haoran gazed at the water and asked calmly, "Tingnan, do you know Qu Yuan? Do you know why he threw himself into the river?"

"Master, may I tell the truth?"

"Of course!"

"Actually, I don't really like Qu Yuan!"

"Oh? Why?"

"Master, King Ying Zheng of Qin wanted to unify China and sweep across the six states. He sent the famous Qin general Bai Qi to conquer Yingdu, the capital of Chu. Qu Yuan, unwilling to see his country perish, threw himself into the river. Do you think his drowning could have prevented the fall of Chu? Could his drowning have made the tyrannical ruler and treacherous officials realize their mistakes and repent? Could his drowning have prevented the people from losing their families and lives?"

"cannot!"

"So, I think he's the same type of person as my uncle. He can't stop the development and changes in society, so he complains, becomes depressed, and is a pessimist. So many famous and virtuous people in history have experienced the fall of their country and the death of their people, but at most they just went into seclusion in the mountains and wrote poems. Why can't he just temporarily avoid the limelight and think about it? So what if he's over sixty? He can pass on his experience and knowledge to the next generation. They say that a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Didn't they say that the world was divided for a long time and then united for a long time and then divided again? He just lost his fighting spirit. Dying would have been the end of it all. He's not even as good as my uncle."