Page 117 - Gan's Family History

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them in the celebration. Though the
Yan's clan was a large one with many
relations in Qufu, their descendants
had declined. Yan Lu lived in a
shabby alleyway farther out from
where Confucius lived. His son, Yan
Hui, was a precocious child and
Confucius was fond of him.
They had prepared a rich meal
- a few vegetables and a large pot of
dog meat, which was a rare treat.
There was no wine. Rice was served
in exquisite clay bowls with colourful
designs on them. Confucius was
puzzles. Since when had the Yans’
begun to use such beautiful bowls,
too good for coarse rice?
The four-year-old Yan Hui
stared at the bowl without applying
his chopsticks to the rice inside.
"Yan Hui, why are you not
eating the rice? This is your birthday
and Confucius has come to celebrate
it with you. We have prepared some
meat for you and you should be
happy and eat your fill today," said
Yan Lu.
"I don't want to use this bowl,"
replied Yan Hui.
"Why? Isn't it beautiful with
the figures and plants on it.?"
Confucius put his bowl on the
table and asked Yan Lu, "These
bowls are not yours, are they?"
Yan Lu had to tell the truth.
"Today is my son's birthday and you
are our distinguished guests visiting
us for the first time, so I borrowed
these bowls from a we--to-do
neighbour."
Confucius said with a serious
look, "You should not have done this.
A scholar, whose mind is set on
truth, and who is ashamed of poor
cloths and poor food is not fit to be
discoursed with. It is better to use
your own bamboo bowls."
Yan Lu looked as though he
had done something wrong. He
readily replaced the clay bowls with
his own bamboo ones. Yan Hui was
delighted and began to eat heartily
out of his small bowl.
After the meal, Confucius
departed and said emotionally to Yan
Lu, "With a bamboo dish of rice, a
gourdful of drink and living in this
mean, narrow lane, though others
could not have endured such
distress, yet he does not allow his joy
to be affected. Admirable indeed is
the virtue of your son Yan Hui."
One day, Confucius and his
disciples came to a small brook
where a young woman was washing
her silk dress. As if something had
occurred to him, Confucius asked Zi
Lu to halt the cart.
"What for, sir?" Zi Lu turned
around and asked.
"I was saying a moment ago
that population, prosperity and
education are the three requisites for
good government. It is easy to find
out whether a state is populus and
prosperous. But if you want to know
whether or not the people are well
educated, you need to talk to them.
Look at that young woman by the
brook. She looks very gentle and
sweet. If you want to know how well
she is educated, you will have to go
and talk to her."
The disciples hesitated. They
knew that it was taboo to approach a
strange woman.