"The Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains," Zhou Ying was the first to speak.
Sini immediately shouted back, unwilling to be outdone, "We just heard the story about how Dayu controlled the floods, and Brother Gu said he’ll tell us about ’The Three Moves of Meng’s Mother’ later."
"So many stories? Then who will tell me, what moral does each of these stories teach you?" Yang Ruxin simply sat down on the stool beside her, secretly pleased. These stories were some of the most classic Chinese mythological tales. It seemed that this world had overlaps with her past life; she just didn’t know when the divergence occurred. She glanced at Gu Qingheng, thinking that she might have him tell her the history of this world at some point.
Zhou Ying and Xiaosi looked at each other, unable to fully understand, finding the stories merely entertaining. So, they remained silent, but Zhou Xiao was the first to stand up: "I like the story of Dayu taming the floods. It tells us that if you do something, you must concentrate, just like Dayu, who didn’t even enter his own home when he passed by... He was an incredible man." Just like his father.
"When it comes to persistence, I think Dayu pales in comparison to the Foolish Old Man," Sanni glanced at Zhou Xiao, "Just how big are Mount Wangwu and Taihang? They weren’t afraid..."
"But the so-called persistence of the Foolish Old Man was for his own convenience in traveling, while Dayu did it for everyone else," Zhou Xiao retorted with dissatisfaction, looking at Sanni, "It’s not right to compare the two men."
"Why can’t we?" Sanni stood up with her hands on her hips, glaring at Zhou Xiao, "Both stories are about persistence, aren’t they? The Foolish Old Man is even more persistent than Dayu; why can’t they be mentioned together?"
"Let the oldest sister decide," Zhou Xiao didn’t argue with Sanni and instead turned to Yang Ruxin.
"You’re both right," Yang Ruxin was amused, observing these two little ones, who seemed to argue over anything, as if they couldn’t communicate without a fight, quite interesting indeed, "but you’re also both quite one-sided."
"Why?" Gu Qingheng asked.
"Let’s start with the Foolish Old Man. He certainly was persistent, but if we look at it from another perspective, couldn’t we say he was too foolish? If it were me, I’d have just moved my family beyond the mountains, why bother staying trapped within them?" Yang Ruxin spread her hands, "Maybe opportunities are greater outside, and life could be better."
Everyone fell silent, looking at Yang Ruxin with surprise.
"Now let’s talk about Dayu." Yang Ruxin glanced over the crowd, "He was a brilliant leader, wise and intelligent, controlling the floods for the people. However, on the other hand, I think he was also a very cold person, lacking in humanity, especially selfish..."
The audience was stunned; what Sister Yang was saying seemed so different from what they always believed. Even Gu Qingheng frowned, "Where do such words come from?"
"Dayu was certainly better than his father, smart and capable, he controlled the flood, but he passed by his own home three times without entering. Was he really so busy he couldn’t even check on his wife and children?" Yang Ruxin pursed her lips, "It’s not necessarily the case. This is just the portrayal of someone who prioritizes career over family. Although he wouldn’t admit it, and neither would later generations... but in fact, he did become the tribal chief succeeding Yao..."
"But isn’t that a symbol of his diligence?" Zhou Xiao felt as though a certain conviction within him had been shattered, frowning as he looked at Yang Ruxin, "Shouldn’t he have been that way?"