Wang Daguai Liu family tradition (4) Sharing the same boat, harmonious neighbors
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The couple who were the first ancestors of my Liu family to immigrate used a wheelbarrow After trudging thousands of miles with their belongings, they followed the migration team to eight miles east of En County, where they were relieved and could settle down. This place was a land of yellow sand hills, with grass growing everywhere, pits and swamps, mosquitoes flying around, and snakes and scorpions running rampant. The team each found a place to settle down, but everyone gathered together to live next to each other to take care of each other. The surnames Wang, Liu, and Chen are close together, and there are other surnames further away. There are also several local indigenous residents. Everyone began to settle down in their new home. Faced with the difficult environment, everyone worked together, helped each other, worked together, harvested together, and enjoyed happiness. They focused on planting mulberry and raising silkworms, running the house frugally, and accumulating wealth. Respect local customs and learn to integrate into local society. It was possible to survive under those conditions, and its virtues were passed down from generation to generation: kindness to others, loyalty, honesty, prudence, diligence, and self-discipline. Even in the mid-Ming Dynasty, when the society was stable and the economy was developing, living conditions were good, and the population of the three major surnames had multiplied and expanded, and they each established their own villages, everyone still maintained a good relationship of mutual help (and even nepotism in marriage). Don't argue because of small gains, don't hold grudges because of small anger.
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During the Chongzhen period of the late Ming Dynasty, the "trinity of drought, locust plague, and plague" in the northern region combined to form some basic conditions. The drought and locust plague were extremely large in terms of scope and intensity. level, there was another plague outbreak during this period, and people died day and night. "In one night, the people fled in panic and the city was empty." At that time, there was hunger in Shandong, father and son in Dezhou ate each other, travelers were cut off, and thieves abounded. In November of the 16th year of Chongzhen, there was an earthquake in Shandong. At this time, the peasant army had been uprising for more than ten years. At this time, Huang Taiji from the north continued to harass and invade. The Ming court was suffering from two fronts of war, and the people were burdened with heavy military pay and taxes. In the winter of the 11th year of Chongzhen (1638), Huang Taiji sent Dorgon to lead the army to break through the Great Wall via Mongolia and fight southward along the canal until Jinan, where they captured Jinan Prefecture and captured 460,000 people and animals. A lot of fertile land was left uncultivated and the population declined. Production was disrupted.
From the larger social environment, we can see how much impact natural and man-made disasters have on society. When dynasties change, the destruction of war is even more unimaginable. Without national stability, people's life safety will not be guaranteed. The family's population has dropped sharply, so it's good to have connections to pass on to every household. Later generations recorded very few events during this period. Under the devastation and oppression of famine, war, and plague, no family or ethnic group can survive alone. "Only when the roots are deep can the leaves flourish, and when they are united, they will never be separated." Families and villages rely on "sharing the same boat to support each other and fight against the national calamity." Only by relying on the collective strength of families and villages can the spirit of "community and resistance" be preserved; defeat the plague and survive natural disasters through the collective strength of families and villages. "If there are any similarities, let's help each other." This allowed the Liu family to preserve their personal connections.
Born in the troubled times of the late Qing Dynasty, he experienced the chaos of the Republic of China, the eight-year Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang Civil War, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China. The trajectory of his life also fluctuated with the trend of history, especially in the first half of his life. The two brothers worked together through hardships, did business with integrity, and left many good stories for future generations. The ancestor Liu Tao Chunting first attended a private school for several years, then went to a new school in En County, then went to Dongchang Prefecture to attend middle school, and finally attended the Dongchang Prefecture Army School, during which he accepted the Three People's Principles. Due to the sudden death of his father, he stopped returning home, but his cultural thought of "saving the country through industry" influenced him throughout his life. Although Duke Futing of Liu Tao has never been to school, he is very good at managing finances and calculating accounts, and he has a photographic memory.
In the same boat, we started a business and built a family
According to the local conditions, the two brothers decided to open an oil mill. Their mother, Zhang, supported it and actively helped to prepare funds. It was difficult to start a business. The road begins here. In order to run the oil mill, Liu Tao Chunting, the founder of the family, often lived and ate in a small south house next to the oil mill. When he was busy, he worked and ate with the guys. His younger brother Liu Tao, Mr. Futing, was in charge of takeout. Although he could not read or keep a book, he was good at accounting. Every time he came home to report the accounts to his brother, he would immediately ask how much oil was taken out and how much oil was exchanged for. How much does it cost. The day's accounts are very clear in my mind, and the reconciliation is accurate. Known as the "iron abacus" of the "second shopkeeper". The surplus of the Youfang was kept by his mother Zhang, and the brothers and nephews ate together in the same pot. They were never separated until after liberation, the Youfang was confiscated and his mother passed away.
Honesty and harmony, benevolence and righteousness make a family prosperous.
The ancestor Liu Tao Chunting classified various oil crops very carefully, neither mixing nor mixing. He worked hard and personally carried out every process of oil extraction, and clearly marked the prices of good and bad oils. , the old does not bully the young and is dissatisfied. He treats his workers better and gives them extra meals and dishes every busy season, sometimes better than what he eats at home. During the Chinese New Year, dozens of extra kilograms of oil are given as gifts. If any family in the village is short of oil, they can pay it on credit. If cottonseed, soybeans and other oil crops are available after the next autumn, it will be repaid. Mr. Liu Futing drove a carriage through the streets and was responsible for purchasing and selling oil seeds. Liujia Oil Shop is getting better year by year. And it's famous. Before the Anti-Japanese War, my Liu family's family situation began to improve, and life was prosperous. There was a "family renaissance", the family also had social status, and the family was prosperous.
During the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation, Shizu adhered to the principle of "honesty, justice, and profit." He would lend a helping hand to his family neighbors who were in trouble, so that the neighbors could live in harmony, and he would not forget benevolence and righteousness when he was rich, and he would be good at helping people in need. In times of national crisis, the family business struggled to maintain operations and help the village.
Those who are harmonious internally will have a prosperous family; those who are harmonious externally will have good relations with others