The next day, Wei Chen asked the steward of the Sheng family at the wine shop for a few manpower, went to Xiyin Village to pick up Zhang Xu, and packed and delivered the belongings in the small courtyard.
The guards Ruyi and Zhang Ming called Fang Jia, the neighbors on the left and right, and the scribes in the yamen to witness, and signed a house deed with Fang Yazi in public.
The neighbors in the alley heard that the newly moved neighbor was a little prodigy, and they all happily came over to help with the move, saying some auspicious words to seek good luck.
Under the guidance of Wei Ruyi, Wei Chen thanked these enthusiastic neighbors one by one according to the rules, and said that in a few days, he would set up a running table in the alley to treat everyone to a good meal.
After seeing off the guests, Wei Chen returned to the courtyard.
In the courtyard, Zhang Ming's family of three were sitting around a stone table under the banyan tree enjoying the cool air.
Wei Ruyi and Zhang Ming were a little tired after a busy day, but their joy of moving into a new home was not diminished at all.
Wei Ruyi counted on her fingers what to buy and add, such as furniture, fabrics, pots and bowls, candlesticks, bed tents, etc.
Zhang Ming was remembering next to him, preparing to go out for shopping soon.
The most excited person was Zhang Xu. He was lying on the wicker chair, but his hands and feet were restless. He was groping around like a monkey and chatting with Wei Chen.
Hearing that Wei Chen said that he would live on the first floor of the small building in the inner courtyard, Zhang Xu was so happy that he rolled around and pulled Wei Chen's arm and talked about his future plans for the small house.
Wei Chen listened quietly to Zhang Xu's chatter, occasionally echoing a few words softly, but he felt a lot of emotion in his heart.
It has been almost half a year since he came to this world, and Wei Chen still feels a sense of accomplishment for finally being able to provide his family with a decent place to live, and no longer having to travel around for a living.
Zhang Xu's voice became more and more tired as he talked, and soon he fell asleep on the wicker chair. Wei Chen also closed his eyes, listening to the rustling wind in his ears, feeling extremely peaceful in his heart.
…
In the early morning, the white fish belly appears in the east, and the quiet market becomes lively again, with small merchants and hawkers carrying poles selling everywhere.
On the street, Qian, the boss of Fuyuan Bookstore, picked up the tea bowl in his hand, rinsed his mouth, yawned, and directed his assistants to pull the door panels one by one in preparation for business.
At this time, a young man came to the door of the store, wearing a square scarf and clean starched clothes, with bright eyes and full of vitality.
Boss Qian saw the person coming clearly, quickly put down his tea bowl, and said with an enthusiastic smile: "Mr. Wei, are you here to buy paper for posters so early?"
Wei Chen smiled: "Yes, all the paper I bought last time has been used up."
"Young master is really studious!" Boss Qian praised, and then asked: "Or is it a large two-sided submission paper?"
"yes."
Boss Qian nodded and gave instructions to the boy. The boy immediately picked up the paper knife, cut out the large stack of paper, made a wiping sound, and tied it neatly with paper tape.
A large paper costs 300 yuan, which is a relatively expensive paper. Scholars use it exclusively to write papers.
Wei Chen paid the money, turned a corner into the alley with three large documents in hand, and walked dozens of steps to the door of his house.
After entering the door, Wei Ruyi happened to meet Wei Ruyi walking out of the house with a basin of water: "Brother Chen, you are going to buy paper again! Come and have breakfast quickly. I have cooked hot porridge and steamed buns."
"Okay, got it."
Wei Chen responded with a smile and walked all the way through the front yard to the small building where he lived.
When I went upstairs and opened the window, I saw white walls and black tiles. In the distance, I could see boats passing by on the Youyang River.
The hustle and bustle outside the alley was mostly blocked by the saddle wall, making it a quiet place amidst the hustle and bustle. It was just right for reading.
After a while, Wei Ruyi brought breakfast. Wei Chen ate two meat buns and a bowl of hot porridge, then opened the articles of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, put them on the desk, and read aloud.
The sound of reading loudly echoed like gold and stone, resounding throughout the two-story building.
Not long after, Wei Ruyi's shouting and cursing came from downstairs: "The sun is shining on your butt, are you still sleeping? Get up! Listen to your brother Chen, you have been working hard upstairs early in the morning!"
Zhang Xu reluctantly crawled out of the warm bed. While putting on his clothes, he said with a grimace: "I regret it. Being neighbors with Brother Chen is not fun at all. I want to go back to Xiyin Village!"
Wei Chen upstairs heard Zhang Xu's wailing and couldn't help but smile.
Zhang Xu is an eccentric boy, but he has no interest in studying at all. He may not be able to go to school in the future.
However, Wei Chen would not force him to do this. Zhang Xu was young and undecided. When he showed interest in a certain aspect, Wei Chen would naturally help him.
Wei Chen paused for a moment, took a sip of light tea to moisten his throat, then picked up the notes from the Eight Great Masters in his hand and read again.
He has now achieved some success in the Four Books and Five Classics and Cheng and Zhu's annotations. Now he is going to dabble in the texts of the Eight Great Masters to improve his rhetoric.
With Wei Chen's ability, he has naturally memorized the content of the article. However, the reason why the Eight Great Masters are called the Eight Great Masters has its own merits. The secrets in the article cannot be simply memorized. Comprehended.
For example, Han Yu's writings are as majestic as the great rivers, and Su Shi's writings are like the gushing springs of thousands of dendrobiums. Such articles have clear rhyme and sonorous tone. The more they read, the more interesting they become.
Wei Chen also read it over and over again, and then gradually got the true flavor of it.
After reading a piece of "Red Cliff Ode", Wei Chen felt that his thoughts were clear, his mind and body were relaxed, his mind was filled with endless inspiration, and he immediately felt the urge to write.
He immediately took out a large piece of writing paper, spread it out, held it down with a paperweight, then sharpened his ink, picked up his pen, and started writing on the paper.
Occasionally stop for a moment to consider the words, take a sip of light tea, and think carefully with the fragrance of tea between your lips and teeth.
After finishing the article, there was still half a pot of tea left. Wei Chen raised the paper and started admiring it. The more he read, the more satisfied he became.
This article has both rhetoric and ancient style. It can be called the best article he has written since he entered school.
Suddenly, Wei Chen felt a chill on the tip of his nose and looked out the window.
"It turns out it's raining."
The rain dripped messily from the eaves, hitting the black tiles, ticking, crisp and sweet.
Wei Chen gathered the papers in his arms, then closed the window, went downstairs and picked up his rain gear, informed Wei Ruyi, then went out alone and walked slowly along the river.
When he arrived at the free school, Wei Chen showed Lin Yan a dozen articles he had written in the past few days.
Lin Yan finished reading each article, stroking his short beard, and nodded slowly: "Yes, one article is better than the other, especially the last one, which is quite like the style of everyone in the Tang and Song Dynasties."
Wei Chen said: "Students were reading Mr. Dong Po's "Red Cliff Ode" today, and happened to read the sentence "Send a mayfly to the sky and the earth, a drop in the vast sea," so I felt inspired and wrote this article.
After hearing this, Lin Yan smiled and nodded: "Mr. Dongpo's writing style is wonderful and changeable, and it is difficult to imitate it easily. Although your article is far inferior, it can still be regarded as a bit of his authenticity."
When Lin Yan said this, Wei Chen was immediately flattered and hurriedly said humbly: "Mr. Dongpo is so talented that no student dares to compare with him. This article is just an occasional impression and cannot be counted."
"Not arrogant, not impetuous, very good."
Lin Yan's eyes flashed with appreciation, and he continued: "You have studied the articles of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties to this point. It is already very good. Next, you can start reading the selected works."
The anthology, also known as the "Selected Works of Zhaoming", was jointly compiled by literati organized by Prince Zhaoming, the son of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, and selected the works of more than a hundred famous writers from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Southern Dynasties in the past thousand years.
If Wei Chen can understand this anthology thoroughly, draw on the strengths of many writers, and then stand out as his own, then he will truly have achieved great success in his craftsmanship.
