二十、盡悌道

王善人的叔伯兄弟有十四人，卻沒有人來奉養爺爺；有親兄弟四人，也沒 有兄弟願意奉養父親，王善人願意擔起這兩個擔子，來奉養爺爺和父親。

當時天旱澇不均，加上蝗蟲害，許多人家鬧飢荒。由於王善人連續五年歉 收，每天只吃半飽，就往地裡做活去，結果餓昏過去竟然有十多次；而內善人（王善人的太太）從早到晚就在田間拔草，總也不肯休息，也不吃晌飯，只吃些點野菜 罷。

王善人的心裡只存個「孝」字，精誠所致，竟然也感動天了。頭兩年，地裡 生蟲子，但蟲子卻不吃王善人的苗。中間的兩年，起了蝗蟲，奇怪的是，蝗蟲一進到王善人的地裡，只吃草，不吃苗。因為這樣，王善人體會到「象耕鳥耘」這故事 絕不是假的。第五年，正逢穀晒米時，天氣忽然上凍，把白菜都給凍壞了，令人訝異的是，晚高粱都沒凍著。

王善人二十八歲那年正月，四弟說要買糧食，和人講好了年工，要先支付工 錢，東家向他要保人，四弟希望王善人能給他作保，王善人答應了。可是工都還沒有做，四弟竟把工錢給賭輸光了，人也就走了。等上工時，東家上門找保人，王善 人就這樣替四弟做了一年的工。

一天，四弟一宿夜也沒有回家，王善人知道他耍錢（賭錢）去了。第二天回 來，王善人也沒說什麼。過了三天，四弟自己受不了，就給王善人磕頭，說是把工錢給賭輸光，以後再也不看牌了。王善人很感歎地對他說：「我成年都不在家，我 能管你嗎？魏老恩家的活，雖然是你講的，你不做，我也得替你做去；你別看我瘡癆沒好，我是做活的出身！現在我還在家，我不許你在家設賭抽頭！我走了，那就 隨你便，你就是把房子田地全賣了，把你二嫂給輸掉了，我也不管！」

話說回來，二老輩本是莊稼人，但念及王善人的瘡癆病一天重於一天，生活 也很貧窘的，在外還得給人家扛活，對於家中田園都很盡心盡力，所以得閒時，二老輩就拾糞來堆肥，也幫著種菜等等，因為這緣故，歷年來的收穫都過得去。

可是就在去年的時候，王善人與四弟同在李家做活。一天，他們兩人在階前 倒糞，李家五舅母在階上閑立著，就對王善人的四弟說：「樹永啊，你那二哥是天上難找，地下難尋的，又能盡孝，啊！你的命多好啊！」正誇著呢，樹永把木掀向 地上一挫，很不服氣說了：「說真直的，我也知道盡孝好，妳知道我爸爸一年給他家撿多少糞？一年打多少糧？是老人幫他過日子，這怎能算孝呢？要是我成了家 啊！不讓老人做一點活，乾享福罷！」王善人莞爾一笑說：「喔！那今年就給你定婚了，將來你可要侍奉老人，我給你養老產之外，也把我的地給你五畝，你看這怎 麼樣？」王善人立刻託媒人給四弟說親去。在這年的臘月，終於了母親臨終的心事。

結婚才三天，四弟妹就對王善人說了：「我媽媽說，媒人當初提媒，說是光 棍漢一個人，並沒說有老人和哥哥嫂子啊！」四弟也就真的同意分出去了。這時候，老善人（王善人的父親）念及王善人生活困苦，養家之餘還要奉養兩輩老人，就 自願跟著樹永，給他來奉養。王善人對四弟說：「爹老要是願意去，我給一晌地作為養老費。」四弟沒有答話。過了幾天，王善人託人去問他，四弟才說他女人不答 應。老善人知道是這一回事，心裡非常不舒服，但也沒辦法，只好作罷。王善人知道四弟妹這輩子是不能享福的，他常說：「四弟妹絕享不過一百天的福。」果然不 到三個月，四弟天天耍錢（賭博），不到一年的光景，把家當都輸光光了。

四弟兩口子雖然分了家，但本性好賭，每當輸了錢，不能過生活時，四弟妹 不是今天來借米，就是明天來借柴。王善人一看，這不行的！就對四弟妹說：「搬回來吧！樹永常不在家，妳一個女人家，日子怎麼過？」所以她就搬回來了。不 久，四弟也與王善人入夥了，一起做活。一年或兩年後，四弟妹看她男人，很守本分，就嫌家裡人多麻煩，就又吵著平分糧食和牲畜等而去。像這樣子，分了又合， 合了又分的，王善人始終也沒有說半句話。

有一年，四弟因為耍錢輸光了，就跑了，也不知道他跑到哪裡去。王善人看 見四弟沒有顏面回來，於是託個人轉告他。親友鄰居們都看不過去，替王善人很打抱不平的，紛紛地說了：「你太傻了！你吃了這麼多虧，還不覺悟嗎？像老四兩口 子這種人，早就不該管了。你這樣對待他們，他們也好不了，會把你累壞了！」王善人很和氣地說了：「他不是我媽的兒嗎？我既然不能勸他改變性質，又不能維持 他的生活，那還叫哥哥嗎？」他人一聽，對王善人更是深深欽佩不已。

因為四弟耍錢輸了，也不知道他去哪裡。四弟妹想出去找他，王善人就對她 說：「這大的天地，妳上哪兒去找他呢？妳自己想法過吧！」四弟妹生氣把孩子放在王善人的家，說：「你看孩子，我拾柴去。我看孩子不合道。」就出外做活去 了。內善人才把孩子抱起來，四弟妹從此就獨立生活。直到後來王善人守墳時，給人講病，四弟在黑河金場，聽人傳說王善人成了活神仙，他才回家來。

歡喜善的，厭惡惡的，這是人的本性使然。古人說：「父子兄弟之親，論情 不論理。」在一個家庭裡面，和氣是很重要的。像王善人的四弟幾次合伙，幾次分居，進來時空身而來，出去時平分而去，一而再，再而三，王善人一點也不計較。 若不是能深明孝悌之道者，安能這樣呢？

20. Fraternal Devotion

None of Good Man Wang fourteen paternal cousins wanted to support their grandfather; none of Good Man Wang three brothers wanted to support their father. Hence Good Man Wang took on the responsibility and supported both his father andgrandfather.

His hometown was stricken by a series of droughts, floods, locust plagues, famine; and harvests were meager for five years in a row. Since Good Man Wang ate only half his normal amount before going to the fields to work each day, he passed out from hunger more than a dozen times. His wife pulled weeds from morning to night without rest, and she skipped lunch and ate only wild vegetables for breakfast and dinner.

Good Man Wang’s only thought was that of filial piety, and it appears that his sincerity moved heaven. The first two years there were pests in the field, but they left the sprouts in Good Man Wang’s field untouched. The next two years the locusts came, but whenever they flew into Good Man Wang’s field they ate weeds instead of sprouts. Good Man Wang had firm faith in the ancient legend of Emperor Shun being helped by the elephants and birds to plow and sow his fields. When it was time to dry the grains in the fifth year, a sudden cold spell froze all the cabbage, yet, surprisingly, the sorghum in Good Man Wang’s field was unharmed.

In the first lunar month of Good Man Wang’s twenty-eighth year, his fourth brother offered to buy the family’s food. The brother signed a one-year contract and asked for an advance of his wages. When the employer asked for a guarantor, Good Man Wang agreed to be his guarantor. Unfortunately, the fourth brother gambled all the money away and ran away himself. When he didn’t show up for work, the employer went to find the guarantor. Good Man Wang thus worked in his fourth brother’s place for a year.

One night his fourth brother didn’t come home, and Good Man Wang knew that he had gone gambling. When his brother returned home the next morning, Good Man Wang said nothing. After three days, his brother couldn’t no longer bear it. He bowed to Good Man Wang, saying that he had lost all his wages and vowing never to go gambling again. Good Man Wang commented, “How can I be responsible for you when I am hardly around all year? You didn’t keep your commitment to work for Old Wei, so I have to work in your place. Even though I’m unwell, I was brought up to be a farmer. While I’m still here, I will not let you turn our home into a gambling parlor! When I’m gone, you can do what you want. Even if you sell the house, the farm or your sister-in-law, it won’t matter to me.”

Good Man Wang’s father and grandfather, who were themselves farmers, worried about Good Man Wang’s poor health and hard livelihood—working for others as well as toiling in his own fields. They tried to help out by collecting manure to make compost and tending the vegetable garden in their spare time. Consequently, the family had pretty decent harvest each year.

When Good Man Wang and his fourth brother were working for the Li family last year, one day they were dumping manure near the front steps, and the fifth aunt of the Li family said to Good Man Wang’s brother, “Shu Yun, no one can compare with your second brother! He is so filial! How lucky you are!”

In the middle of the compliment, Shu Yun threw down his shovel in indignation and said, “Frankly, I know it is good to be a filial son. Do you know how much manure my father collects for my brother each year? Do you know how much food my father harvests for him each year? The old folks are helping him out; how can you praise him for being a filial son? If I were married, I’d let the old folks enjoy themselves in leisure!”

Hearing his comments, Good Man Wang smiled and said, “So that’s what it’s all about! We’ll arrange your marriage this year and you can take care of the old folks. I’ll transfer some property to you to support the old folks, and I’ll also give you five acres of my land; what do you say?” Good Man Wang immediately asked the matchmaker to find his fourth brother a bride. His brother was wedded in the last month of the lunar year, finally fulfilling his mother’s last wish.

The newlyweds moved out of the house only three days after the ceremony. The bride told Good Man Wang, “According to my mother, the matchmaker mentioned only the bachelor; we didn’t know his old folks, brother, and sister-in-law were also included!” The fourth brother agreed to move out with his wife. At that time, Good Man Wang’s father, who wanted to lighten his burden of supporting his father and grandfather, volunteered to move out with Shu Yun. Good Man Wang told his brother, “If Dad moves out with you, I will give you a piece of land to subsidize his livelihood.” The fourth brother did not answer. Several days later, Good Man Wang asked someone to check with his brother again, and his brother replied that his wife would not agree to have his father live with them. Good Man Wang’s father felt very uncomfortable when he knew about it, but there was nothing he could do. Good Man Wang said that his fourth sister-in-law would not have a good life. He lamented, “My fourth sister-in-law will have a blessed life for no more than one hundred days.” He was right; in less than three months, his fourth brother began gambling every day and lost all his fortune within a year.

Even though Good Man Wang’s fourth brother had taken his share of the family land and moved out of the house, his addiction to gambling forced his wife come home to borrow rice or firewood whenever he lost at the gambling tables. Good Man Wang advised his sister-in-law, “Why don’t you move back! It is difficult for you to live by yourself when Shu Yun is not home all the time.” She took his advice and moved back home. Soon Good Man Wang and his fourth brother formed a partnership to work for others in the field again. A year or two later when the fourth sister-in-law was happy with her husband’s behavior, she started to complain about her in-laws and wanted to move out again, taking their share of the food and farm animals with them. They moved out and moved back many times, yet Good Man Wang never said anything.

One year, the fourth brother lost all his money and went away without telling anybody where he was going. Good Man Wang knew his brother was too ashamed to come home, and so he asked someone to take a message to his brother. Good Man Wang’s neighbors and friends all told him, “You’re crazy! You’ve already taken such a great loss—don’t you realize it? You should have stopped paying attention to your brother and sister-in-law a long time ago. They don’t appreciate your kindness. You’ll get burned out.”

Good Man Wang calmly replied, “He’s my mother’s son, isn’t he? Am I worthy of being his elder brother when I can neither support his living nor persuade him to change his character?” Upon hearing his comments, Good Man Wang’s neighbors and friends respected him even more.

After the fourth brother left, his wife wanted to find him, but no one knew where he was. Good Man Wang told her, “Where are you going to find him in this huge world? You’d better take care of yourself first.”

His sister-in-law was angry. She dropped her child off at Good Man Wang’s house and said, “Please look after my child while I go out and collect firewood. It’s not good for the child to follow me.” Good Man Wang’s wife picked up the child in her arms, and their sister-in-law went out to start an independent life. Good Man Wang’s brother did not come home from the Black River Gold Mine until he heard that Good Man Wang had become a living immortal, watching over the grave and telling people how to cure their illnesses.

It is human nature to like good things and dislike bad things. It is said, “The relationships between father and son and and between siblings are based on sentiment, not reason.” It is very important to maintain harmony in the family. If Good Man Wang hadn’t understood the principle of being fraternal with his brother, how could he have tolerated his brother repeatedly moving back home when he was poor and then moving out with an equal share of the family wealth?