However, every night his father had to supervise Li Yuanhong to study under the lamp. At that time, there was a popular saying among the people: It is called to be a good man and not a soldier, and a good iron is not a nail. The father's idea is still to hope that Li Yuanhong can take the career of an official, take the road of studying and becoming an official, and he very much hopes that his son can have a career and become a person who honors his ancestors.

Li Yuanhong is not interested in the Four Books and the Five Classics, but he is afraid of hurting his father's heart, so he has to act like a pretense on weekdays.

One day, Li Yuanhong came back from collecting firewood and passed by a field of reeds. He heard from afar that there was a rustling in the reeds, and he could see that the reeds were shaking where the sound came from.

Li Yuanhong was a little scared at first, afraid of encountering a big beast, and his first thought was to quickly walk away.

But man is curious, and he has never passed through this place before. After walking a few steps, I was very unwilling and wanted to find out.

With the courage to put Chai He down, he clenched the sickle and gently leaned over. I can't see it clearly from a distance, and it is a small animal in terms of volume. Li Yuanhong breathed a sigh of relief and walked closer, it turned out to be a quail and a grass snake fighting.

The children on the other side are likely to take the opportunity to catch the quail and the grass snake, and they can go home and enjoy a few taels of game with their families. But Li Yuanhong didn't, he wanted to help the two little guys, and picked up two branches to separate the quail from the grass snake.

Strangely enough, he had just separated them with great difficulty, but the two immediately twisted together. It is said that these two animals are usually afraid of people, but today I don't know why, they just cared about fighting each other, and turned a blind eye to Li Yuanhong on the side.

After trying a few times to no avail, the peacemaker couldn't be a peacemaker, and Li Yuanhong had no choice but to give up.

To go back to the market, you have to pass by your house first, and Li Yuanhong wants to go home to drink saliva before going to the market to sell firewood.

After returning home, his father happened to be at home and told his father about the strange thing he saw, and Li Chaoyang didn't know why, so he had to rush over immediately to see it with his own eyes.

After such a long time, the two little ones haven't finished fighting? But his father insisted that Li Yuanhong take him there. Seeing that his father was so interested, Li Yuanhong didn't want to ruin his father's interest, so the father and son trotted over.

By the time the two of them arrived panting, the reeds were still rustling. When I went in, the two little ones were still desperate.

After Li Chaoyang squatted aside and watched for a while, he took Li Yuanhong to a high ground.

After looking at the surrounding terrain, he pointed to the battlefield of the two little guys, and said to Li Yuanhong: "This is a treasure land of feng shui. The quail is the phoenix, the grass snake is the dragon, and the dragon and the phoenix are fighting for that treasure land. ”

When Li Yuanhong's father was young, he once knew a feng shui master and learned some feng shui knowledge. He pointed to the surrounding terrain and told Li Yuanhong that feng shui is about accumulating and stopping, flushing yang and yin, thick soil and deep water, and lush grass and forests, all of which are in line with this place.

Animals, no matter how big or small, generally have a territorial concept, and it is common to fight to the death for territory, but Li Chaoyang firmly believes in his feng shui theory.

He told his son that the day he died, he would be buried here, so that he could shade his children and grandchildren, and repeatedly asked Li Yuanhong to remember. Li Yuanhong loves his father very much, and he doesn't want to listen to his father's unlucky words. Li Chaoyang saw that Li Yuanhong didn't say anything, so he didn't feel at ease and told him for a while before giving up.

Later, after his father died, Li Yuanhong buried his father in the reeds according to his father's instructions. To tell the truth, the family was so poor at that time that they really didn't have the money to buy a cemetery, so they could only bury it in the wilderness.

After Li Yuanhong became the president, some people once said that it was because his father chose the good feng shui of this cemetery.

However, after Li Yuanhong became developed, he rebuilt the cemetery for his father. In order to fulfill his father's wishes, the cemetery was rebuilt in its original place.

The reconstructed cemetery covers an area of more than half an acre, with a white dome of the tomb. In front of the tomb, there is a low tombstone, on which the name of Li Chaoyang, the date of birth and death, etc.

Because of the remote location, there is no building to shelter. At night, under the bright moonlight, the tomb is white, becoming a local scene and landmark, and is called "white tomb" by the locals.

On July 23, 1878, it was a good day for Li Yuanhong's family, and Li Yuanhong's little brother, Li Yuanze, was born. Whether you are poor or rich, it is always gratifying to add people to import.

Within a few days, his father Li Chaoyang was promoted to "Thousand Bosses" again, and the pyramid of the feudal hierarchy became smaller and smaller the higher it went, and the fewer people it accommodated. At this level, the salary will be much higher, and there will be other inputs, and the family is very happy, saying that it is double happiness.

Some people say that the family has been running since this time, and Li Yuanhong and the whole family also think so. However, they didn't expect bad luck to await them.

First of all, Li Yuanhong's mother, Chen, suffered from postpartum disorder and fever, and soon died at the age of 28. Li Yuanhong was fifteen years old that year, and his younger brother had just turned half a year old.

Mother Chen's illness was not a mortal illness, but at that time it was such a medical condition, and even having appendicitis was a serious illness that had to touch the nose of Lord Yama even if he didn't die.

Li Yuanhong's father did his best to see his mother, but he was helpless.

The death of his mother hit Li Yuanhong very hard, and he has always relied on his mother, who has never had a good life. Li Yuanhong had already secretly decided that he would find a way to make more money and compensate his mother when he grew up, but now, there is no chance.

Li Yuanhong's baby Wu Jingjun is still young, and there must always be a woman in the family. Li Chaoyang quickly continued the strings, and his stepmother, Cui, is a very good person, especially kind and virtuous. treat Li Yuanhong and Wu Jingjun very well, especially for Li Yuanze, who is less than one year old, and take care of them even more meticulously; This largely fills the void of the mother's death.

The life of the family has finally entered normal again.

Li Yuanhong's father was unable to participate in the scientific examination because of his poor family, and like many such fathers who had no ambition in his life, he pinned all his hopes on his son.

Li Yuanhong has also caught up with several scientific expeditions since he was a child, but he missed out because of poverty. This year, there was a scientific examination, and after becoming the president of Qian, the conditions of the family were better, and the family was frugal, thrifty, and raised funds for Li Yuanhong to participate in the imperial examination.

Because he likes Western studies and is not interested in the Four Books and Five Classics, Li Yuanhong has no confidence in scientific research. Seeing the whole family making such efforts and placing such high expectations on him, Li Yuanhong felt very uneasy and burdened, afraid that he would fail the exam and make the whole family suffer in vain.

During this period, he worked very hard. I slept late every day and woke up early the next day.

One day, his father accompanied him for a walk outside, and the grandfather talked about himself, and Li Yuanhong talked to his father about his heart.

Li Chaoyang patted Li Yuanhong's shoulder lovingly, and said proudly: "Son, you just have to do your best, it has nothing to do with you if you fail the exam, if you don't succeed this time, there will be a next time, if you don't do it next time, there will be a next time, my son is a smart child, and I have confidence in my son." Come on son! ”

Listening to his father's words, Li Yuanhong's heart was warm, and he said to himself in his heart that he must redouble his efforts, even if he learns from the ancients, he will not hesitate to do anything, and he must not let his father and the whole family down.

However, before waiting for the scientific examination, the Beiyang Naval Academy enrolled students. Li Yuanhong felt that the opportunity was rare and wanted to apply for the exam, so he told his father his thoughts.

Li Chaoyang said that the examination of the Beiyang Naval Academy is similar to that of the champion of the martial arts. There are a lot of applicants, but few people are admitted, and the cultural test is difficult, and only those with a high score can be admitted.

On the one hand, he should feel that there is no hope, and he will toss in vain; On the other hand, he was forced by life to embark on the road of joining the army, and he had an inferiority complex at work, and he didn't want his son to repeat his mistakes. I strongly persuaded Li Yuanhong not to be distracted, and to prepare for the scientific expedition with all his might.

Li Yuanhong still insisted on giving it a try, saying that if he could be admitted, it would be a way out, and if he couldn't pass the exam, he could continue to participate in the scientific examination.

Li Chaoyang couldn't help but admit that Li Yuanhong's words were reasonable, so he no longer intervened, but just told Li Yuanhong to be mentally prepared for failing the test. In fact, he had already decided in his heart that Li Yuanhong would definitely not be able to pass the exam.

Seeing that his son has always been worried about Sun Shan's reputation in the scientific examination, Zhongzhong doesn't want his son to suffer a blow in advance. He really didn't know what kind of effort his son had put into his new school and what kind of effort he had put in.

What surprised Li Chaoyang was that Li Yuanhong actually passed the exam in one fell swoop, although the exam questions were difficult, although there were many people who applied for the exam, and there were very few people in the exam.

The family was overjoyed, and it became a great joy for the family to admit Li Yuanhong to the Beiyang Naval Academy. While Li Chaoyang was happy, he remembered that his son had reached the age of twenty and had reached the age of starting a family, so he decided to marry him.

The family's economic situation is not good, and Li Yuanhong's family affairs can only be simple. But there is one thing that Li Chaoyang believes cannot be omitted, that is, the newcomer must be carried into the house in a sedan chair. originally lived at home, hired a sedan chair, carried the bride Wu Jingjun out of the house, walked half a circle in Beitang and then carried it back.

Why do you have to sit in a sedan chair, is because you are afraid that the bride will be wronged in the future. The meaning is: "I was brought in in by your family sedan chair, not by myself, you have to treat me well." ”

A small thing can reflect the kindness of Li Chaoyang and his family.

There are still these few people in the family, but the relationship with each other has changed.

They are all people who think about each other and each other, and it is easy for such people to get along together. The husband and wife are affectionate, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law respect each other, and the family quickly adapts to the changed relationship.

Is this time the family really running? The Sailor School opened, and the family happily saw Li Yuanhong away, followed by Li Chaoyang's official fortune. Soon, he was promoted from "President Qian" to "President Du", and from "President Du" to "Guerrilla".

This is the second time that Li Yuanhong's father, Li Chaoyang, has become a guerrilla general. The first time was in war, where good people in all aspects were easily represented, and there were far more opportunities for promotion. In peacetime, it is not easy for a guerrilla general like Li Chaoyang, who has no money to give gifts and no powerful connections, to become a guerrilla general.

The amount of money has increased a lot, and Li Yuanhong also has an income from studying in the Sailor School, and his family's life has obviously improved.