Lu Weirui and his stepmother Zhang Wenwan visited Huqiu seven days ago. They saw the brightly blooming peonies beside the pond where the sword is buried in the tomb of King Wu Helu, so they made an appointment to draw a "Huqiu Peony Picture". Since they were only looking at the peonies that day, they did not have time to visit.
Other scenery, so I want to visit again today.
Today is a holiday for officials. Lu Na did not go to the office to sit in the office. Mrs. Lu Zhang Wenwan and Lu Weirui came to invite Lu Na to visit Huqiu. Seeing that Chen Caozhi was also here, he said happily: "Chen Langjun saw those two paintings."
If you don’t have any paintings, would you like to hear Mr. Chen’s comments?”
Mrs. Lu Zhang Wenwan was also a devout believer in Tianshi Taoism. When Chen Caozhi was copying "Laozi's Five Thousand Essays" in Zhenqing Taoist Temple to pray for his mother, she and Lu Weirui went to see it together. Chen Caozhi's dignified writing style was impressive.
Generating respect and good moral character are always desirable. Mrs. Lu Zhang Wenwan felt very close to this pure, filial and talented young man, as if Chen Caozhi was also a nephew of the Lu family.
Lu Na said to Zhang Wenwan: "Today the Linhai Prefect congratulates Xi on his visit to Wu County. I have to go out of the city to welcome him and I have no time to visit Tiger Hill. You and Wei Rui go, let Lu Qin accompany you, and Cao Zhi also goes with you."
After Lu Na said this, he led a few followers and went.
Mrs. Lu Zhang Wenwan personally unfolded the two "Huqiu Peony Pictures" and said to Chen Cao: "Chen Langjun, please comment on which painting is better?"
Lu Weirui looked at Chen Caozhi and chuckled: "Aunt Zhang, aren't you making things difficult for Chen Langjun?"
Mrs. Lu smiled and said: "So Wei Rui thinks this painting has surpassed mine? Let Chen Langjun say it, and say it bluntly."
Chen Caozhi was not restrained and said: "The two paintings of Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Wei Rui are both models that I have imitated. I don't even have time to admire them. How can I dare to judge them?"
Mrs. Lu shook her head and said with a smile: "Mr. Chen, please don't be so prevaricating. You must tell the difference."
Chen Caozhi looked at the scroll and said: "Mrs. Lu's painting has rich colors and a wonderful charm. Even Mr. An Dao can't find any flaws here. In terms of brushwork and the rich changes in petal coloring, it is better than the beautiful little lady."
One thing, but Miss Wei Rui is good at learning and absorbs the strengths of others, so it is not impossible to surpass Mrs. Lu in time."
Mrs. Lu burst into laughter: "Chen Langjun is so versatile, he has praised both Wei Rui and me."
Lu Weirui pursed her lips and smiled, and said: "Aunt Zhang, Chen Langjun has never seen the peonies by the Jianchi. Today, I asked Chen Langjun to go and have a look. I am sure he will have other comments on these two paintings."
Mrs. Lu laughed in surprise and said: "Ah, Wei Rui is not convinced. Do you want to beat me now? Well, let's go and have a look together, I'm afraid that the peony bush has withered."
Lu Weirui said: "No, the peony flowering period is not short."
Mrs. Lu asked the child to call Lu Qianlai to go to Huqiu together. The child reported that Mr. Lu had gone out early in the morning and did not know where he had gone.
Mrs. Lu then said: "Then let's go ourselves."
The family members of the Lu family went on a trip, with more than a dozen ox-carts and nearly a hundred servants filling the roads and making a mighty meandering trip.
Tiger Hill is located in the north of the city, six or seven miles away from the Taishou Mansion. In late spring, in March, the grass grows and orioles fly, and people who go out of the city for spring outings flock to the road.
Chen Caozhi was sitting on the bullock cart driven by Laide, looking out the window at the beautiful mountain peak not far away, which was Tiger Hill. He had climbed it in his previous life, and it was really different from what he saw now. The most important thing was
There is no iconic Leaning Tower of Tiger Hill on the top of the mountain, but the trees are more lush and green than in later generations. I thought: "The Leaning Tower of Tiger Hill was built in the Five Dynasties and will not appear for another six hundred years. The distance between time and space is really real."
It’s so touching.” He then thought: “It would be even better if I could travel alone with Wei Rui in the mountains, but it’s a pity——”
As the oxcart rolled past the stone bridge at the foot of Huqiu Mountain, someone was heard catching up from behind and calling: "Madam - Madam, the master of the house asks Madam to return home immediately."
The bullock cart came to a screeching halt, and Mrs. Lu Zhang Wenwan asked from the window: "Why are you in such a hurry?"
The person who came was the steward of the Lu Mansion, and he reported: "The head of the family said that Mrs. He, the prefect, has also arrived. Please go back and accompany her."
Mrs. Lu Zhang Wenwan said helplessly: "Then go back."
"Wait a minute." Lu Weirui got off the oxcart and walked over and said, "Aunt Zhang, you are not in a hurry to see Mrs. He. It is more important to go up the mountain to see the peonies first."
Zhang Wenwan smiled and said: "You are a nymphomaniac. You only care about peony. How can I be as childish as you? Let's go back together and come back tomorrow."
Lu Weirui said: "It's really depressing to have to go back after we've reached the bottom of the mountain. I wonder if the peony has withered?"
Lu Weirui bit her thin lips lightly with her white teeth, and frowned, looking like she was crying.
Zhang Wenwan said hurriedly: "Well, Wei Rui, you go on a mountain tour, let Chen Langjun accompany you, and come back early after seeing Shaoyao."
Lu Weirui said: "Aunt Zhang, why don't we go together? It's only for an hour."
Zhang Wenwan said: "Your father is waiting. The He family and the Lu family in Kuaiji are family friends, so we can't be rude." He told the short hoe, hairpin flower and other servants to serve the little lady Wei Rui carefully, and took most of them back to the city.
Lu Weirui endured it for a long time, and then she laughed silently. She quickly clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and prayed silently, but the smile on her face became thicker and thicker, and the laughter in her throat finally couldn't be suppressed, it was crisp and sweet.
The laughter is like a flock of birds fluttering their wings and flying into the distance.
Chen Caozhi also got off the oxcart. Looking at the beautiful girl praying silently, he had a wonderful feeling in his heart. It turned out that everything in this world can really come true.
The stone bridge was only half a mile away from the foot of Huqiu Mountain. Lu Weirui asked the bullock cart and the servants to wait here. She took two maids with short hoes and hairpins - after thinking about it, she brought two more servants of the Lu family.
Above, these two servants are as dull and loyal as Chen Langjun's servant Laide.
Lai De also liked to climb mountains and did not want to stay at the foot of the mountain. Chen Caozhi asked Lai De and Ran Sheng to go up the mountain together. Eight people from his party and Lu Wei Rui walked to the foot of the mountain. A clear and shallow mountain stream blocked the road.
There is no bridge, and there are several circular stone piers scattered in the water. There are one, seven, or eight stone piers every two feet connecting the two sides of the mountain stream.
At this time, it was about three quarters of the hour. The spring sun was warm and the spring breeze was blowing. The stream from the mountain stream was extremely clear. The sunlight reflected the crystal pebbles in the stream. From time to time, a small fish swam slowly towards it and stopped for a moment.
, the fish twisted its tail and suddenly swam away.
Lu Weirui was not in a hurry to go up the mountain. She stood by the stream, her bright eyes looking forward. The happiness in her heart gurgled up like spring water, and her whole body felt like floating happily. She had never felt so relaxed. She looked at the near
Chen Caozhi, who was close at hand, said softly: "Just now in the car, I was wondering if Aunt Zhang would have to go back for something during the trip -"
Chen Caozhi smiled and said, "Well, I thought so too."
Lu Weirui smiled brightly and said: "It turns out that if two people wish for the same place, they can get their wish." At this point, she turned her head and looked at the top of the mountain with a slight shyness.
The little maid urged: "Little lady, go up the mountain."
The two healthy servants of the Lu Mansion have taken off their shoes and are standing on both sides of the stone pier in the stream, waiting for the little lady Wei Rui to cross the stream on the stone pier. If the little lady Wei Rui accidentally loses her footing, they can help her in time.
live.
Ran Sheng showed off his talent and said: "This creek is only three feet long, let me jump over it."
Laide said: "Don't fall into the water."
"Look at me." Ran Sheng tightened his belt, stepped back two feet, sprinted over, jumped, landed on the other side, turned around and laughed.
The two healthy servants of the Lu Mansion were speechless after looking at it.
Seeing the clear and lovely water in the stream, Lu Weirui said, "Mr. Chen, I want to swim through the water barefoot. I used to love wading like this."
Both the short hoe and the hairpin are girls' nature, and he said enthusiastically: "Okay, the two of me will go first. If the rocks in the stream are not slippery, the lady will come over."
The second maid sat on the stone by the stream. She put aside her shoes and socks and stretched her feet into the water. She breathed in with a short hoe and said: "It's cool, a bit cold, but it's very comfortable - little lady, come here."
Lu Weirui glanced at Chen Cao, then sat on the flat stone and took off her black silk shoes and white stockings. She quickly dipped her feet into the stream, let out a soft cry, stood up in her skirt, took two tentative steps, and turned back.
Said: "Chen Langjun——"
Chen Caozhi was happy and relaxed. Being with Lu Weirui seemed to have washed away the worldly world. His heart was as clear as the stream. He also took off his shoes and socks and followed Lu Weirui step by step across the stream -
The stream was very shallow and had just submerged the instep. Chen Caozhi looked at Lu Weirui's slender and delicate ankles. Her snow-white feet moved carefully. When stepping on the smooth pebbles, her toes curled up cutely, and her toenails curled up cutely.
Like rose petals floating in the water, if the skirt is raised a little higher, you can see the calf like mutton-fat white jade. The curve extending from the slender ankle to the smooth calf is extremely beautiful. It is extremely difficult to draw such a line in one stroke when painting.
Lu Weirui looked at the gurgling stream. Behind her, Chen Caozhi's shadow lay across her feet. She couldn't bear to step on it, so she stepped aside. Her feet slipped slightly and her body swayed. She naturally opened her arms to maintain balance, and then left her left hand.
The hand that was pinched was Chen Caozhi's, warm and strong. It took only ten steps, but it seemed to have gone very far, and the happiness in my heart seemed to be so light that it was about to fly.
When they came ashore, Chen Caozhi said: "When the stream flows with bare feet on the rocks, and the sound of the water cools the wind, I will draw a picture like this for you. I can't draw it now. I have to ask Gu Changkang for advice on how to draw characters."
Lu Weirui said "hmm", feeling happy and radiant.
At this time, there were no smooth climbing stone steps in Huqiu. They were all paved stone paths, which were quite steep. After passing Thousand People Stone, there was the tomb of King Wu Helu. There were two seal characters carved on the left wall of the cliff -
— "Sword Pond".
Lu Weirui said: "Chen Langjun, the word 'Jianchi' was inscribed by the right general Wang Xizhi when he visited Huqiu seven years ago. It was only engraved on the cliff the year before last."
The sword pool is about 20 feet wide and unfathomably deep. Legend has it that King Wu Juelu buried the "fish intestines" and other swords as well as a large number of treasures here. Qin Shihuang once sent troops to dig out, but found nothing.
The rocks beside Jianchi are stacked with mountains and flowing springs. It is actually the most scenic spot in Tiger Hill before the Leaning Tower. On the side of the cliff, more than ten peonies are in bloom, with flowers in white, pink, red and purple, and there are about hundreds of them.
The flowers are like a big brocade draped on the cliff of Jianchi. It is really beautiful.
Chen Caozhi and Lu Weirui were admiring flowers side by side, when two people suddenly appeared from the edge of the cliff, but they were brothers Zhu Yingtai and Zhu Yingting.
The Zhu brothers were also surprised when they saw Chen Caozhi. Zhu Yingtai glanced at Lu Weirui, bowed his hands to Chen Caozhi and said, "Brother Zizhong, are you taking Mei on a trip to the mountains?"
Chen Caozhi frowned, Zhu Yingtai's words were a bit rude, and said calmly: "Brother Yingtai wants to show off his eloquence again? How about I surrender?"
Seeing Chen Caozhi's sarcastic look, Zhu Yingtai felt angry for some reason and said: "I came to reward this peony. I want to draw a "Picture of Peony in Jianchi" to see how well it compares to the first lady in Wu County.
?”
Lu Weirui didn't understand what Zhu Yingtai mentioned about her. Seeing this, Zhu Yingtai's eyes and tone were quite unfriendly and she said: "Mr. Chen, let's go to the top of the mountain and have a look."
Chen Caozhi then raised his hands to the Zhu brothers and said, "Please accompany me." He followed Lu Weirui and climbed up.
Zhu Yingtai stared at the backs of Chen and Lu, feeling inexplicably angry.
The mountain road was twisting and turning, and the Zhu brothers could not be seen when they looked back. Lu Weiruifang asked: "Chen Langjun, have you offended that person?"
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "No, this person has always been sharp-tongued. I saw your "Huqiu Peony Picture" at Taolin Xiaozhu the day before yesterday. I became interested and wanted to paint one."
Lu Weirui said: "Just paint, why do you have to compete with me? It's really weird."
Chen Caozhi said in his heart: "Zhu Yingtai should be a woman. Shangyu is also a county under Wu County. Zhu Yingtai relies on her talent and is not convinced by Lu Weirui's claim to be the number one lady in Wu County. It's really funny. I really can't understand her future.
How could I fall in love with the dull Liang Shanbo? I will go back to Qiantang at the end of April. I guess I will never have the chance to be classmates with him again. Liang Shanbo should have come later. I hope all lovers will get married and there will be no tragedy.
It's better to turn into a butterfly." He said: "It's better to win this person and ignore him. Let's travel around the mountain and see the peony later."
The top of Tiger Hill is flat and wide, and there are several large locust trees where the leaning tower was. Chen Caozhi looked at the large locust trees and was overwhelmed by the past and present.
Ran Sheng opened and closed two simple small stools, placed them on the ground, and asked Mr. Cao Zhi and Mr. Wei Rui to sit down and rest.
Lu Weirui was very curious, and sat down carefully with Chen Caozhi, who could not see the big city of Wujun in the distance. On the top of Tiger Hill in spring, the wind was gentle and the sun was bright, the mountains and forests were green, and the sun shone through the branches and leaves of the locust trees on the ground.
The spots on the human body sway and flicker, reflecting the faint pulse in the eyes.
Occasionally, tourists pass by and don't know that this is a girl from the Lu family, but looking at their silhouettes, they feel that they are a perfect match.
Lu Weirui sent a hoe and a hairpin to look for flowers nearby. She held a bamboo branch in her hand, gently plucked the grass in front of her, and asked softly: "Chen Langjun, are you going back to Qiantang next month?"
Chen Cao said: "Yes, hurry back before the Dragon Boat Festival."
Lu Weirui asked: "When will you come again?"
Chen Caozhi hesitated and said, "Maybe next year."
Lu Weirui's eyes darkened, and then she said with a smile: "Okay, I'm waiting for you to come and marry me." The last three words were so soft that they were almost inaudible.
The second servant of the Lu family was just over the locust tree. Chen Caozhi just touched the back of Lu Weirui's hand lightly and said with a smile: "To marry the Lu family's girl into Chenjiawu would be as powerful as the sky, but the Lu family's
The fairy is willing to marry, so how can I not work hard? I can't wrong you too much, right?"
Lu Weirui blushed on her cheeks and said, "I will wait for you no matter what."
The two of them sat facing each other in silence for a while, because they felt sweet in their hearts and felt that even though the road was long and difficult, there was nothing to worry about, because if two people think in the same place, they will definitely get their wish, right?
After going down the mountain and passing by Jianchi, the Zhu brothers were nowhere to be seen. The two of them watched the peony for a while. Lu Weirui asked Chen Caozhi to also draw a "Picture of Peony on Tiger Hill", which must be better than that of Zhu Yingtai.
…
On the evening of the next day, Ding Chunqiu came to Taolin Xiaozhu and said to Chen Caozhi: "Zizhong, have you heard that He Xi, the prefect of Linhai, He Zhu's father, came to Wu County to propose to Mr. Lu!"
Chen Caozhi's heart skipped a beat, but his tone remained calm as he asked, "Are you proposing to Lu Weirui for He Zhu?"
Ding Chunqiu said with some annoyance: "Exactly, He Zhu's words and deeds are surly. He is not worthy of the Lu family girl. They are just of the same family."
Liu Shangzhi glanced at Chen Cao and said, "Yes, He Zhu is talentless, ignorant and arrogant. It would be a pity that the idiot Lu married into He's family."
Chen Caozhi said calmly: "He Zhu is taking powder."
…
On March 25, Linhai Prefect He Xi and his wife left Wu County and returned to Kuaiji with their son He Zhu. The marriage between Lu and He failed because He Zhu took powder. Lu Na's beloved son Lu Changsheng fell ill because of taking powder.
A few days ago, I saw Yu Xi running naked in the office again. How could he marry his only beloved daughter to He Zhu? Lu Na had already made it clear that he would marry Lu Na's daughter, and the disciples of Fusan did not even mention it.
On this day, Yang Quan, a famous doctor from Yangzhou, rushed to Wu County to diagnose and treat Yu Xi. He used acupuncture to guide Yu Xi. This method of treating the sequelae of taking powder was invented by Huang Fumi, a famous doctor and scholar. Huangfu Mi himself was deeply affected by taking powder.
The acupuncture method was developed over many years, but its curative effect was limited. Lu Changsheng was treated for sporadic diseases by Yang Quan, and it only saved his life.
Chen Caozhi still went to Lu Na's house every few days. Although he couldn't say anything to Lu Weirui, he was happy to see her.
After the qualification examination, many of the gentry children who studied in Xu's school left. Only the students from humble families still listened to Dr. Xu's explanations of Confucianism and metaphysics every day.
After being estranged for a few days, the Zhu brothers began to communicate with Chen Caozhi again. Chen Caozhi did not know whether Zhu Yingtai painted the painting "Huqiu Peony", and Zhu Yingtai never mentioned that day between Jianchi and Chen Caozhi.
Cao Zhi, Lu Wei Rui's encounter, still playing chess with Chen Cao Zhi, arguing, listening to the flute...
In a blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of April. It was this day last year when his past and present souls merged. On that day, his mother said at Lingyin Temple: "——Chou'er, my mother is already old, and I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you to the temple for worship in the future.
The incense fulfills the vow. From now on, you will come to the temple to offer incense and give alms on the eighth day of April every year, do you remember?"
A year has passed, and I think my mother is going to Lingyin Temple today to burn incense and fulfill his vows, and to add oil to the longevity lamp in front of the Buddha.
Chen Cao took a shower and changed clothes early in the morning, and took Lai De and Ran Sheng to Tongxuan Temple in the north of the city to worship Buddha. Tianshi Dao was prevalent in Wu County, and Buddhism had not yet been widely spread. There were only two Buddhist temples inside and outside the county. Tongxuan Temple was more famous. According to legend, it was Sun Quan's temple.
It was built on the residence of his mother, Mrs. Wu, and has a history of more than 100 years. There is a pavilion-style octagonal pagoda in the temple, with seven floors on the outside and nine floors on the inside. It is 30 feet high and majestic. It is the first in the three Wu Dynasties.
