At noon on the first day of May, Lai Fu, Lai Gui, and Lai Zhen, father and son, each drove an ox cart to pick up Chen Cao's uncle and nephew, as well as Xiaochan and Qingzhi, two maids, back to Chenjiawu. There was only one Chen family in the west building.
An ox cart specially used to carry people, Lai Gui, Lai Zhen drove an ox cart borrowed by Chen's mother Li from the East Tower and South Tower.
Ding Youwei is holding a child by one hand. Although her smile is beautiful, she can't hide her loneliness. Joy is short and sorrow is long, and beautiful scenery is fleeting. The five-day warm gathering of mother and son passed by in the blink of an eye. Although we can see each other again in early September, think about it.
For more than one hundred days and nights for four months, I felt pain in my heart.
In front of the side door of the villa, two stewards bowed and said: "Madam, just send it here. The master of the house has ordered it."
Chen Caozhi was afraid that Ding Youwei would be too sad, so he smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, just wait and see what gifts Zongzhi and Run'er will bring you next time."
Zongzhi and Runer said in unison: "Mother, we will definitely work hard."
Ding Youwei knelt down and hugged the two cute children to his chest, kissed them, and said with a tearful smile: "You two must be good, listen to your grandmother and uncle Chou, don't be picky about food, you know?" Then he hugged the two children with his own hands.
After getting on the bullock cart, he straightened up and said to Chen Caozhi: "Xiao Lang, see you in September."
Chen Caozhi bowed his head respectfully: "Farewell sister-in-law, sister-in-law takes care of you."
Xiaochan and Qingzhi, the two maids, also said with tears in their eyes: "Farewell, madam, please take care of yourself, madam."
Xiao Chan said again: "Madam, don't worry. Qingzhi and I will definitely serve the old mistress well, take good care of Zongzhi and Run'er. Madam, you should also be happy and comfortable. Don't suffer yourself. If you are in Yueyue Zongzhi, Runer
Come, how happy I am to see her mother's face rosy and more beautiful!"
Xiaochan was very articulate and could talk, Ding Youwei couldn't help but smile, and his feelings of separation were diluted a lot by expectations.
Chen Caozhi followed the bullock cart for a long distance, and the road was about to turn. Looking back, he saw his sister-in-law's slim and white figure still gazing upward under the tall loquat tree in front of the door.
Run'er on the oxcart suddenly asked with a tearful voice: "Uncle Chou, why is Run'er so sad when we say goodbye? We can still see each other, but Run'er is just sad. Why, Uncle Chou?"
The world is difficult and dangerous, and friendship is precious, so the ancients attach great importance to separation. Even a six-year-old girl knows the pain of separation. However, Chen Caozhi couldn't answer Run'er why? But he said: "Zongzhi, Run'er, Uncle Chou teaches
Please recite a poem—"
Then, on the southbound road, the sound of childish poetry recited:
There are strange trees in the courtyard with lush green leaves.
Climb the bar and break off the glory, leaving behind the thoughts.
The sweet fragrance fills the sleeves, but the road is far away.
Sutras are not valuable, but they are different from time to time.
…
Needless to say, Chen's mother Li was very happy when she returned to Chenjiawu. Although Xiaowei could not come back, she could breathe a sigh of relief with Xiaochan and Qingzhi helping her take care of the housework and taking care of her grandchildren.
The important thing is that Chen Caozhi's sixth uncle Chen Man, who has always coveted the Xilou property, will be shocked when he learns that the Ding family is willing to let two maids return to Chenjiawu. The Chen family in Xilou has not declined.
Jia'er and Jia's grandson are in charge.
Xiaochan and Qingzhi have lived in Chenjiawu for six years. Everything is familiar to them. They quickly integrated into the lives of the three generations of the Chen family in the west building. Both of them feel that life here is happier. Chen's mother, Li, is kind.
Zongzhi and Runer are cute and well-behaved, and the young man is so handsome and charming, making everyone happy to see them.
Chen Caozhi gained a lot from this trip to Qian and Tang Dynasties. He got the unique Cai Yong Keting flute in the world, and the secret book of Dongxiao handwritten by Huan Yi, who was the best in Jiangzuo music. He could also improve his ""
He also obtained two books by hand from his sister-in-law Ding Youwei - Liu Shao's "Characters" and Wang Bi's "Laozi Zhilue", and borrowed five volumes of Lu Zhi's "Shangshu Zhangju".
Now, Chen Caozhi owns the following books: "Mao's Poetry Notes", "The Analects of Confucius", "The Analects of Confucius Explained", "The Biography of Zuo in the Spring and Autumn Period", "Zhouyi Annotations", "Characters", "Laozi's Guide", "
"Shang Shu Zhang Ju" and half of "Zhuangzi". In the next few months, he should not worry about having no books to study. The only thing he can worry about is that no one can solve the problems when he encounters them.
Also, the calligraphy competition between Chen Caozhi and Chu Wenqian has spread in Qiantang County. Sanqi Changshi Quanli did not publicize it to others, and Chu Wenqian himself certainly would not say it, but in just a few days
During this time, almost everyone in Qiantang County, from the noble families to the poorest families, knew that the fifteen-year-old Chen Cao's calligraphy was better than that of the Chu family's children.
The widow's sister-in-law proposed marriage, and Chen Caozhi became famous. People with good intentions said that Chen Su had an heir, and that Chen Caozhi could succeed his father and brother's ambitions. However, the Chu family of Qiantang felt that they had lost all face. The patriarch Chu Shenming angrily scolded his nephew Chu Wenqian,
Chu Wenqian did not resent Chen Caozhi at first, but he was scolded by his uncle. He was ashamed and angry. Naturally, he blamed Chen Caozhi, and planned to give Chen Caozhi a blow to Qiantang and vent his bad anger...
Although Chen Caozhi is a little worried, he still does what he has to do. He climbs mountains every day, plays Xiao, reads, practices calligraphy, and guides Zongzhi and Runer in their studies. As for his favorite Go, he should put it down for the time being. First, there is no opponent.
Second, Go consumes a lot of time and energy, and he now has to focus on learning Confucianism and metaphysics.
When he traveled around the country in his previous life, he carried a picture folder with him and painted the wonderful scenery he encountered. He studied oil painting and was self-taught. He most admired Wu Guanzhong's Western landscape paintings that contained classical Chinese aesthetics. His paintings were natural.
It cannot be compared with Wu Guanzhong, but it is also priced at 400 to 500 yuan a piece in galleries. He maintained his career as a traveling companion by painting landscapes and writing travel essays——
In this life, the beauty of the West Lake and the beauty of the mountains made Chen Caozhi’s hands itch. In the early morning of the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, he and Lai De climbed up to Jiuyao Mountain. They brought pens and ink and a homemade painting folder and learned to use a brush to paint ink landscapes. However,
As soon as I started writing, the ink became dense and dense, and it felt a bit like a vast and splashed-ink landscape.
Chen Caozhi smiled and shook his head, and asked Lai De to put away the folder of pens and ink. He put his hands behind his hands and looked at the quiet and beautiful lakeside mountains before sunrise. He saw the Baoshi Mountain on the north bank of the West Lake. The last time he came to Lai De, he said that there was an old immortal living in seclusion in Baoshi Mountain.
I wanted to visit, but I was weak at the time. It was about twenty miles away from Baoshi Mountain, and I was afraid that I would not be able to do it. Now after nearly a month of exercise, I feel that my body is much lighter and stronger, and my heart is full of curiosity and wonder.
He was eager to try again and said loudly: "Lai De, let's go to Baoshi Mountain today to visit the old god who took the elixir, okay?"
The loyal Laide naturally responded: "Okay."
The two rushed down the mountain, and Chen Caozhi went to tell his mother that he wanted to visit Baoshi Mountain. Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, could also see that her son had become much healthier recently, so she did not stop him from visiting the mountains. Let Laizhen and Lai De
Come along, everyone, and be careful on the road.
Zongzhi and Run'er pitifully begged Uncle Chou that they also wanted to play. Chen Cao said: "Uncle Chou will go explore the road first and I will take you there next time. Sister Xiaochan and Sister Qingzhi will both go."
Laizhen was driving an ox cart. Although Chen Caozhi was not sitting on it now, there was no guarantee that his legs would be sore on the way back. The master and servant walked left along the south bank of the West Lake, bypassing the vast lake with thousands of hectares of smoke. Five miles away from Baoshi Mountain, due to the rugged mountain road, the ox
The cart could no longer move, so Chen Caozhi asked Lai Zhen to guard the cart while he and Laide continued their journey.
Looking at Gemstone Mountain from a distance, you can see the bright red rock. There are many small sparkling red stones in the rock mass. They are particularly bright in the midday sun, as if countless rubies are shining. This is Gemstone Mountain.
The origin of the name.
Laide said: "Xiao Langjun, I heard that the old immortal is not on Baoshi Mountain, but on the mountain to the west of Baoshi Mountain."
The two people walked around the left side of Baoshi Mountain, and they saw a mountain standing quietly. The mountain was not high, no more than a hundred feet, but it was quiet and beautiful. There was a Taoist temple vaguely among the green pines and ancient trees in the middle of the mountain.
Chen Caozhi and Lai De climbed up the narrow mountain path. The trees on both sides of the mountain path were crisscrossed like canopies, and the dense shade made the scorching heat disappear.
After a few turns on the mountain road, I saw three Taoist couplets hidden among the green trees. A boy with droopy hair was taking a nap on the stone pier in front of the courtyard. He was awakened by Chen Cao, the master and the servant, and said: "My master is not here, please invite me."
Return."
Chen Cao said: "Dare you ask your honorable master's name?"
When the boy saw Chen Cao's clear and handsome appearance, and he was only a few years older than him, he immediately fell in love with him and replied: "My master's Taoist name is Baopuzi."
Chen Cao was stunned: "Baopuzi? Baopuzi is Ge Hong, a famous Taoist priest in the Eastern Jin Dynasty who was good at medicine and alchemy."
Chen Caozhi looked around and suddenly realized that the mountain he was currently in was Geling. In his later years, Ge Hong lived in seclusion here to refine alchemy and write books. The fifty-volume masterpiece "Baopuzi" was written here.
Chen Caozhi calmed down and said to the boy: "I am here to visit from Chenjiawu because of your honor as a respected master. Please let me know, okay?"
The boy shook his head and said: "I'm not going to lie to you, my master is really not here. He went to the mountain over there to collect medicine."
Chen Cao said: "Then I will wait here for the master to come back."
The boy didn't know how to invite Chen Caozhi to sit in the Taoist temple. He only stayed with him under the hood. Laide looked inside the Taoist temple and saw a big man sitting on the corridor of the Taoist temple. He was tall and tall, but he seemed to be deaf. He was not interested in what was going on outside.
Don't listen or ask.
After waiting for nearly two hours, Ge Hong did not return, and the sun was already setting in the west.
The boy felt a little sorry and said, "You should go back first. My master may not be back today. He will stop by to visit friends over the mountain."
Chen Caozhi was afraid that his mother would be worried, so he had to get up, walked a few steps down the mountain, then turned back, borrowed paper and pen from the Taoist boy, and wrote twenty words in elegant regular script:
"Matsushita asked the boy, saying that the teacher went to collect medicine, but he was only in this mountain, and he didn't know where he was in the depths of the clouds."
————————————
Sorry, it's even later, Xiaodao has been writing until now.