Xu Xiaosu is from Ji County. His family has thousands of relatives, most of whom enjoy a life of luxury, but Xu Xiaosu is frugal and known for being filial to his parents. He lost his father when he was young and never knew what he looked like. When he grew up, he asked his mother about his father's appearance, then found an artist to paint his father's portrait, built a small shrine to honor him, and would go to pay his respects every day, and would offer incense on the first and fifteenth days of each month. He was extremely filial in serving his mother, and for decades, his family never saw him lose his temper. When his mother grew old and fell ill, Xu Xiaosu personally took care of her, changing and washing her clothes, serving tea and water, worrying for several years, which drew the sympathy of those who witnessed it. After his mother passed away, Xu Xiaosu only ate vegetarian food and drank water, wearing just a thin garment in the dead of winter, growing alarmingly frail. He personally built graves for his grandparents and parents, living next to the cemetery for over forty years, with unkempt hair and barefoot, eventually passing away there. His younger brother Xu Debei, intelligent and quick-witted, who was well-versed in the Five Classics, was celebrated as a Confucian scholar in the Hebei region. After Xu Debei passed away, his son Xu Chumo also honored his filial duties beside his father's grave. Their family has been known for filial piety for generations!
The historical records comment: in the past, the promotion of the values of filial piety often relied on kings and ministers; in recent times, the promotion of filial piety has mostly been by common people. People like Yan Shi and Dao Ze, some come from families of high-ranking officials, some aspire to serve the country, but ultimately, they all personally built tombs for their parents, even exhausting themselves. Although this goes against the ancient customs of emperors, this demonstrates their benevolence and righteousness! Like the Lang brothers, who sacrificed themselves for the country; like the Tian Yi couple, who perished together and left their names in history; like De Rao, who swayed bandits through his benevolence and righteousness; like De Zhai, who impressed the princes with his righteous deeds, these are all worthy of praise! And people like Niu Hui, Liu Jun, Zhai Lin, and Hua Qiu, some have particularly lush gardens, some have especially gentle birds and animals in their gardens, isn't this a result of their sincere filial piety and brotherly love that has moved the heavens, earth, and deities?!
