Commoner

The mustard seed, also known as the spicy vegetable seed, is the seed of the Brassicaceae family's mustard and oil mustard plants. Its diameter is measured in millimeters, earning it a reputation for its minuscule size. In the past, scholars often humbly referred to themselves as "a mere three-foot life, a mustard seed scholar," ordinary people described themselves as "a mustard seed commoner," small households were likened to "a household the size of a mustard seed," and tiny boats were called "a mustard seed boat"… The mustard seed is but a speck of dust in this vast world, a synonym for all that is slight, delicate, insignificant, and humble. Life may be as small as a mustard seed, yet it contains a universe; a heart as tiny as dust can hold multitudes. The person who best embodied being a "mustard seed" was Li Yu of the Qing Dynasty. In his sixties, Li Yu insisted on using all his resources to build a garden named "Jiuzi Garden" in Nanjing. However, planting a single mustard seed is not an easy task. While most plants are sown in spring and harvested in autumn, the mustard seed differs. It is sown in late autumn…