On the Dragon Boat Festival, the fifth day of May, Chen Caozhi got up early and opened the door. He saw Xiaochan and Qingzhi, the second maid, waiting in front of the door. He couldn't help but drag Chen Caozhi to the bathroom on the first floor to give Chen Caozhi a bath.
This is what the old mistress ordered, because today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and you need to bathe in orchid soup to remove dirt and ward off evil spirits.
There are two large and two small tubs in the bathroom. One of the large tubs has been filled with half a tub of hot water. Fine orchid petals and grass leaves are floating on the water. The steam is steaming and the room is filled with fragrance.
Xiaochan stretched out her hand to test the water and said, "The water is still hot and needs to cool down for a while. Qingzhi, please untie Xiao Langjun's bun first."
Chen Cao said: "Two sisters, I used to take baths by myself. What happened today -"
Qingzhi stretched his hands up to untie Chen Caozhi's bun, and said: "Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. Children should bathe in orchid soup early in the morning. This way they will be free from illness and disaster, and they will not get boils."
Chen Caozhi was speechless. He was under fifteen years old and could only be regarded as a boy like the eight-year-old Zongzhi. He had no choice but to be at the mercy of Xiaochan and Qingzhi.
It was suitable to test the water, so the two pretty maids came together to undress Chen Caozhi. Chen Caozhi was not shy, but Xiaochan and Qingzhi had blushing cheeks. The young man had grown up and was taller than her.
Taller--
Chen Cao said: "Sisters, it's better for me to do it myself, otherwise, your faces will bleed."
"Ah!" The two maids let go of their hands at the same time and touched their cheeks. They felt hot.
Amidst the shyness and confusion of the second maid, Chen Caozhi undressed, stepped into the bathtub, slowly dipped his body, and watched the water filled with orchids and leaves fill up.
Xiaochan and Qingzhi looked at each other and laughed, "We were made fun of by Mr. Cao Zhi. It's really embarrassing!"
The two pretty maids got angry together. They stepped forward and pressed Chen Caozhi into the bathtub. They combed Chen Caozhi's hair and bathed his body. They rubbed Chen Caozhi until his whole body turned red. There was endless laughter in the bathroom.
Zongzhi and Runer were brought by Yinggu to the bathroom to bathe in orchid soup to ward off evil spirits. Two small screens separated the three bathtubs. Runer laughed "geggily", splashed green branches with water, and was mischievous and happy.
After the uncle and nephew took a bath, they put on clean and exquisite Xige clothes. At this time, Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, came in, lifted up Chen Caozhi's left sleeve, wrapped a strand of five-color silk around Chen Caozhi's arm, and said: "This
It’s the Dragon Boat Festival rope, also known as the thread of longevity. It can keep away weapons, ward off ghosts and beasts, eliminate plagues, and protect my children from illness and disaster, and a long life.” He also tied a small pouch containing realgar and other spices to the rope.
On Chen Cao's belt.
Zongzhi and Runer's five-color longevity threads were not tied to their arms, but hung from a small jade pendant around their necks, and then each received loving blessings from their grandmother.
Xiaochan waited for Chen Caozhi's hair to dry slightly, then she combed his hair into a bun, put on a small black lacquer gauze crown, tied the ribbon, took two steps back, looked up and down, and said with a smile: "Qingzhi, look
Isn't it like what Mao Shiqiu wrote about the young gentleman in Cao Zhi - there is a gangster gentleman who is as good as discussing and discussing, as well as polishing? "
Qingzhi said: "There are bandits and gentlemen, who are as good as gold as tin, as good as gold and jade -"
According to legend, all the maids of Zheng Xuan, a great scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty, were proficient in poetry. Once, a maid was punished to kneel in the courtyard. Another maid passed by and asked jokingly: "Why are you in the mud?" The kneeling maid responded: "It's a shame."
, meet his wrath." The questions and answers the two maids had were all original sentences from the Book of Songs. They were well-educated, and even the maidservants were elegant.
Xiaochan and Qingzhi have followed Ding Youwei for many years. When they arrived at Chenjiawu, Chen Cao's uncle and nephew even chanted it non-stop every day. They were so familiar with it that they blurted out the best lines from "The Book of Songs", which was not what Zheng Kangcheng said.
Before.
…
Two days after the Dragon Boat Festival, Laifu went to Qiantang County to pick up the two tenant households and brought them to Chenjiawu. He also went to Feng County Prime Minister to inquire about the household registration matter.
At nearly noon that day, a Zaopao Taoist came to Chenjiawu and asked to see the patriarch Chen Xian. He claimed to be the waiter of Ge Hong from Chutangtang of Baoshishan. He asked Chenjiawu to visit the young man he didn't meet the day before yesterday and go to Chutangtang if he had time.
A meeting at the Taoist Academy.
Chen Xian knew Ge Hong's reputation. The Ge family belonged to a noble family in the south of the Yangtze River. His grandfather served as the official secretary of the Eastern Wu Dynasty, and his father served as the prefect of Shaoling. Ge Hong himself was also given the title of Marquis of Guannei. However, Ge Hong devoted himself to Taoism and had no intention of benevolence.
Later, Wang Dao once invited him to serve as a counselor, join the army, and serve as a regular attendant, but Ge Hong refused and went to Luofu Mountain in the south of Lingnan to make elixirs in a lodge. He was the founder of the Golden elixir sect of Taoism.
Chen Xian also heard that Ge Hong came to live in seclusion near Mingsheng Lake, but he had never met him and did not dare to visit for fear of being rejected. It was rumored that Ge Hong was extremely arrogant, and Lu Shi of Wu County made a special trip to visit him and ignored him.
But now a waiter was specially sent to invite people from Chenjiawu to the Taoist Temple for a meeting. Chen Xian was surprised and happy. He guessed that it was Chen Caozhi, so he asked people to ask, and sure enough.
Chen Caozhi also wanted to meet the famous Baopuzi, so he immediately brought Zhen and Laide and walked with the waiter to Geling on the north bank of the West Lake.
The mountain path is deep and the Taoist temple is quiet. Ge Hong, who has white beard and hair, looks at Chen Caozhi walking up from the bottom of the mountain step by step, and thinks to himself: "It turns out that he is really just a young man - only in this mountain, in the depths of the clouds.
Well, this son is not ordinary. Although the Chen family of Qiantang is not a noble family, but heirlooms of poetry and calligraphy are hundreds of times better than those children of the noble family who apply powder, incense and boast."
When Ge Hong was young, his family was in a state of decline and he had no servants. He once studied in books, borrowed books and copied them. He had a good taste of the warmth and warmth of human beings, and had a profound understanding of the world. He did not pay much attention to the distinction between scholars and common people.
Chen Caozhi looked at the old Taoist with snow-like beard and hair and straight back under the ancient pine tree, and thought to himself that this is Ge Hong. He is almost seventy or eighty years old now. He can still climb mountains and collect medicine. It is really awe-inspiring.
Ge Hong is not the kind of pragmatic Taoist priest who blindly seeks immortality. He pays attention to practical results, and this is why he makes elixirs and medicines. Ten years ago, the Lingnan plague was prevalent. Ge Hong hung a pot to help the world. Countless people were alive, and he was known as Ge Xianweng.
Chen Caozhi was about ten steps away before he bowed deeply and said respectfully: "Young man Chen Caozhi, you are disturbing the Immortal Qingxiu."
Ge Hong's voice was as loud as a bell: "Why are you visiting me at such a young age? Do you also want to seek immortality?"
Chen Cao's way: "There is a succession of people who hear the Tao, how can it be that they are older and younger? In terms of chess and Taoism, a young boy can win against a white-haired old man, so why not?"
Ge Hong laughed: "Young man, your tone is not small, you want to discuss mysteries and Taoism with an old Taoist?"
Chen Cao said: "I just want to ask the immortal for advice."
Ge Hong said: "The old Taoist will ask you a question. If you can answer it, please come and sit in the Taoist courtyard. Otherwise, you will go back and forth wherever you go."
Chen Cao said: "Dare to ask the immortal to ask questions."
Ge Hongxue's long white eyebrows trembled slightly and chanted: "My fate depends on me but not in heaven, and it will take hundreds of millions of years for the elixir to turn into gold - how do you understand this statement?"
Chen Caozhi thought for a while and said: "Confucianism believes that destiny is destined by heaven, while Taoism believes that you can change your destiny by refining qi and taking elixirs, and even control your own destiny, and live a long life. It is not illusory and cannot be pursued."
Ge Hong's two sentences were not profound. With Chen Cao's two generations of knowledge, he naturally responded fluently. However, in Ge Hong's view, the young man's answer was enough to surprise him, and he asked again: "What do you think?"
See, Confucianism and Taoism discuss fate, which one is better and which one is worse?"
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "Immortal, this is the second difficulty. It seems that we should go to the Taoist temple and sit down to talk."
Ge Hong laughed loudly, stepped forward to take Chen Caozhi's hand, and walked into the Taoist temple side by side.
Chuyang Taoist Temple is quite simple. There is only one Sanqing Hall, which is dedicated to the Yuanshi Heavenly King, Yuchen Daojun and Taishang Laojun. The other rooms are alchemy room, study room, bedroom and the chamber of the waiter Taoist boy, and a small courtyard.
There are several plum trees planted by Ge Hong.
Ge Hong took Chen Caozhi's hand to the study and sat down. When Chen Caozhi saw that the bookshelves on the four walls were full of scrolls, he couldn't help but be happy and asked Ge Hong to allow him to borrow the books and copy them back. He would return them within five days.
When Ge Hong was a child, his family was poor, so he also searched for books and copied them by hand. Now that he saw that the young man was eager to learn, he was very happy and said: "Okay, I will only borrow one volume at a time and return it and borrow another."
The Taoist boy served bitter tea, and the old man and the young man began to ask questions and debate. Chen Caozhi didn't know much about Taoist classics. There was only one "Laozi" that was quite comprehensive, and the other "Taiqing Jiuding Danye Jing"
", "White Tiger Seven Transformations Sutra", "Dong Xuan Five Talisman Sutra", he had never heard of it, but Chen Caozhi was knowledgeable and quick-thinking, and he could use the chemical knowledge of later generations to understand Ge Hong's golden elixir technique.
It often tickled Ge Hong. After all, it is very lonely to live in seclusion and have no one to talk to. It is even more lonely to have no one to talk to about the knowledge in your chest. Therefore, the old immortal with hair as thick as snow was very happy, and the conversation was full of enthusiasm. Before he realized that it was already dusk, the sky was dark.
Dim.
Chen Caozhi was startled and said: "Ah, I have benefited a lot from hearing what the immortal said, but it's getting late and I have to rush back."
Ge Hong was still reluctant to give up and said: "Let your healthy servant go back and report the news. You can rest in the Taoist temple and come back tomorrow to avoid rushing in the dark."
Chen Cao said: "Jiacihui is looking forward to returning home. I will say goodbye now."
Ge Hong no longer tried to persuade Chen Cao to stay, but told Chen Cao Zhi to come and visit him when he had time, and to browse through all the Taoist books in the Taoist academy. He also ordered the burly man, who seemed to be deaf, to give Chen Cao's master and servant a ride.
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