"Some people say that a person's destiny is predestined, while others say that destiny is written by one's own hands."
The old man paused for a moment, then raised his hand and rubbed the goatee on his chin with his thumb and index finger.
The old man thought for a moment and then continued, "Young man, everything should follow its own rules. I advise you to write the word "Lu" in the normal order in the future."
Lu Sheng was a little puzzled when he heard that the old man paid more attention to the order in which he started writing. But in fact, this was not a matter of writing habits.
Lu Sheng was not aware of the deep meaning behind what the old man said. He only knew that the old man had not finished speaking, so he quietly waited for the old man to continue.
"It's your last name. If you write corpse first, it's unlucky and very unlucky. If a person has lost his life, it's a corpse. But sometimes, if a person loses his soul, it's like losing his life."
Lu Sheng recalled the last calligraphy test. It was completely different from the euphemistic expression at that time. This time the old man's explanation was sincere and direct. What he said was not at all like a sophisticated charlatan.
Thinking about the lives that may be lost, whether there is no soul is no longer Lu Sheng's focus. He asked the old man with some anxiety, "So about my current situation, am I dead? No?"
The old man smiled and shook his head. He ignored these seemingly hopeless words and continued to speak at his own pace:
"This Lu is your last name. You just said that the character "Sheng" you tested last time was your first name?"
"Well, yes." Lu Sheng was still thinking about the word "corpse" in the old man's mouth, and simply responded.
"So, your name is Lu Sheng?!"
"Yes."
"Your name reminds me of a story." The old man looked at Lu Sheng and said to him with great interest.
Lu Shengke didn't want to hear any stories. He just wanted to hear more about himself. Nothing else interested him at all.
"Old man, it's better not to tell stories yet."
"Don't be impatient for a moment. Let's listen to this story first."
After the old man said this, he began to talk to himself:
Once upon a time, there was a depressed scholar. After another failed scientific examination, he began to return home lonely and sad.
On his way back to his hometown, he met a Taoist priest named Lu Weng in an inn in Handan. The two hit it off and chatted together.
As the two gradually got to know each other, the scholar began to lament his poverty, lament the unfairness of his fate, and lament his miserable life.
After hearing this, Lu Weng did not persuade the scholar too much. He just took out the celadon pillow he carried with him and let the scholar sleep first.
The scholar took the celadon pillow and planned to follow the Taoist priest's advice and take a nap first. When he was about to sleep, he found that his stomach was empty, but the shopkeeper had just started to cook millet.
The scholar endured hunger and fell asleep. He had a very happy dream. In the dream, he realized many wishes in life, including small wishes in reality and many unrealistic wishes. He enjoyed everything in the dream.
He achieved prosperity and wealth and fulfilled all his reasonable and even unreasonable demands.
But when he woke up hungry and recalled what happened in his dream, he found that it was true and false, just like a dream. Everything in life was still the same as before. He still had to live his life, and maybe he was destined to fail.
life.
What's even more annoying is that when he woke up, the millet in the store was not yet cooked. In reality, he took a short nap, but in his dream, he had unknowingly experienced decades of successful and satisfying life.
.
These are his unrealizable desires that evolved into his illusory dreams.
After the old man finished telling the story, Lu Sheng was stunned as he listened to the story.
The old man had already turned around and left. He stopped just a few steps out. I don't know if Lu Sheng, who was in a daze, heard him. The old man just muttered in a low voice.
"Coincidentally, this scholar's name is also called Lu Sheng."