Chapter Nine, Observing the Vast Sea
What should I write? Sun Shao is quite conflicted. The most famous literary form of the Han Dynasty is the Han fu, but unfortunately, despite his love for literature, he knows very little about it. He remembers quite a bit of Tang poetry and Song lyrics, but in this day and age, isn't it a bit shocking to plagiarize? Gaining applause is not a problem now, but what if he has to compose poetry on the spot in the future? That would certainly be a disaster. Although it is said, "If you can recite three hundred Tang poems, even if you can't compose poetry, you can still steal," the poems that are stolen are, after all, not as fitting as those composed by oneself. He thinks and thinks, and in the end, Sun Shao decides to abandon the idea of being audacious and chooses to write a poem that is currently quite popular, one that everyone is familiar with. After all, in the past, Sun Shao was quite unsophisticated, and others would not hold it against him.
Sun Shao made up his mind, focused his spirit, and wrote with the fluidity of a dragon and the grace of smoke, composing Cao Cao's "Viewing the Vast Sea"
Zhou Xun heard that it was a poem by Cao Cao, and he let out a long sigh of relief, shaking his head without saying a word. He secretly rejoiced that he had not rashly pointed out the flaws in the poem earlier; otherwise, it would have been a tremendous embarrassment today. Although Cao Cao was an enemy, the talents of the Cao family were evident to all. As a scion of a prominent family, he naturally would not deliberately slander him simply because he was an adversary
To the east, I approach the stone tablet to gaze upon the vast sea. ... The water is so calm and tranquil, while the islands rise majestically ...
Sun Shao did not notice these things until he finished writing and put down his pen, at which point he noticed that the expressions of the big bridge and the small bridge were somewhat strange. For a moment, he did not think too much about it. He spread the paper in front of the small bridge and, adopting a humble demeanor, bowed slightly to the small bridge, saying: "I have transcribed a poem by Cao Gong, please kindly provide your guidance."
The pen is one foot long, with one end sharpened to a point and the other end fitted into a bamboo tube, which is intricately carved with patterns. In the middle, three seal characters are inscribed: "Beijing Work"—this is a high-quality pen that was used by the inner court officials in the imperial palace, and ordinary families would hardly ever see it. The smooth, pale yellow sheets of paper laid out on the table are the famous Zuo Bo paper from Donglai, also a rare high-quality item. Currently, with the North and South engaged in warfare, Donglai and Jiangdong are separated by Xuzhou, which has been ravaged by war countless times. Donglai paper is indeed a rare commodity in Jiangdong.
The set of stationery on the table clearly and unequivocally indicates the status of the Zhou residence
"Since it is good paper, then you must enjoy it to the fullest, my dear brother." Zhou Yu smiled as she leaned forward to the desk, rolling up her left sleeve with her right hand, revealing an arm as delicate as lotus root. She extended her slender fingers, pinching some ink powder from the ink pouch and sprinkling it onto the inkstone, adding water. While grinding the ink, she playfully said, "My dear brother, I am here to learn from you; you wouldn't be hiding any treasures, would you?"
These things are completely invisible to the Sun residence; Sun Shao had only heard of them before.
"What good paper!" Sun Shao exclaimed as he stroked the Zuo Bo paper
He spoke without thinking, not considering the implications behind his words. However, Zhou Yu felt a certain frivolity in what he said, causing her face to flush. Her hand, which was grinding ink, paused momentarily as she cast an annoyed glance at Sun Shao. Yet, Sun Shao did not look at her; his eyes were fixed on the Zuo Bo paper on the desk, as if in this world there existed only that paper and the brush in his hand. His focused demeanor stirred something within her.
The large bridge was speechless, glaring at the small bridge with a mix of shame and anger, which only made the small bridge laugh even more happily. Sun Shao, confused and bewildered, scratched his head and turned to look at Zhou Xun and the others.
Sun Shao's lips curled slightly as he picked up a pen from the desk, removed the pen cap, and tested the bristles with his fingers. The bristles were firm yet supple, with excellent elasticity; it was indeed a fine pen. While reaching out to lick the ink, he glanced at the smiling face of Zhou Yuru and smiled: "Ah Yu, please do not laugh. My humble skills are hardly worth cherishing. If you wish to see, I would be more than delighted; I have been longing for this."
Xiao Qiao covered her mouth and chuckled, saying: "In Cao Gong's verses, there is no place for me to interject; I would rather ask my sister to provide her commentary."
Ayin, do you know when this poem was written by Cao Gong
Zhou Yin curled his lips and said in a sarcastic tone: "Elder brother, although the old thief's verses are quite good, as a member of the Sun clan in Jiangdong, it is acceptable for you to record his poetry, but using the words 'respectfully recorded' seems somewhat inappropriate, doesn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Daqiao furrowed her brows and stood up to take a look at the poem in front of her. The inscription indeed read "Respectfully transcribing a poem by Cao Gong." Her heart sank at once. Although Zhou Yin's words contained a hint of jealousy, it was indeed somewhat inappropriate for Sun Shao to use the term "respectfully transcribing" given his status. She quickly considered this and was about to speak up to defend Sun Shao, but he smiled slightly and spoke up before she could.
As he recited a line, Zhou Yu followed with another; Zhou Xun and Zhou Yin, sitting opposite each other, exchanged glances with each line they heard, their expressions growing increasingly grim. They were unaware whether these verses were composed by Sun Shao or merely transcribed, yet the grandeur and the sense of desolation conveyed in the words astonished them. They believed they could not produce such poetry themselves. If these verses were indeed transcribed by Sun Shao, that would be acceptable; however, if they were his own creation, they would have no choice but to regard him with newfound respect. The grandeur and the sense of desolation conveyed in the words astonished them. They believed they could not produce such poetry themselves. If these verses were indeed transcribed by Sun Shao, that would be acceptable; however, if they were his own creation, they would have no choice but to regard him with newfound respect.
They felt anxious, yet the expressions on the faces of the elder sister and younger sister at the main table were quite different. The younger sister chuckled quietly, while the elder sister felt a deep sense of shame. They knew who the author of the poem was. Their father, Qiao Rui, was a frequent guest at the Yuan residence, just like Cao Cao. However, while Cao Cao followed Yuan Shao, their father Qiao Rui followed Yuan Shu. Despite this, their relationship was amicable, and Qiao Rui could recite many of Cao Cao's poems fluently. They often heard these poems in their childhood, even though at that time, Cao Cao had already become an enemy of Qiao Rui. Nevertheless, the talented and versatile Cao Cao was a rare hero in the eyes of the young girls, especially the elder sister, who had always been unable to forget him and had kept collecting Cao Cao's new poems. However, such feelings were secretive and not to be shared with outsiders. Now, with Sun Shao suddenly quoting Cao Cao's verses, the younger sister naturally thought that the elder sister was still pining for her old love and had taught Cao Cao's poems to Sun Shao, which made her chuckle even more. The elder sister also thought of this, but found it difficult to explain, which led to her overwhelming sense of shame and embarrassment.
The focused expression of a man is the most easily moving expression. Sun Shao was entirely preoccupied with what to write, yet he did not realize that his expression, in Zhou Yu's eyes, had already offset the discomfort caused by the earlier teasing remark.
The effort was minimal, yet several servants dressed in brocade presented paper and writing instruments. Upon seeing this set of stationery on the table, Sun Shao finally realized the disparity between the Sun residence and the Zhou residence. Before arriving at the Zhou residence, he thought the Sun residence was already quite corrupt. To say nothing else, just the few pieces of pork hanging in the kitchen were not something an ordinary family could possess. Even though he came from the harmonious and prosperous new century, he had never seen a kitchen with such a large space and such an abundance of food. Furthermore, there was that large courtyard and the spacious main house with three entrances, attended by dozens of servants, which certainly indicated a landlord class. However, upon arriving at the Zhou residence, he realized he had underestimated the wealth gap of the evil old society. Although he did not know how large the Zhou residence was, just by looking at the front courtyard and the main hall, he could estimate that it was definitely larger than the Sun residence. Moreover, looking at these servants dressed in brocade, the Sun residence could not compare at all. Even the steward Qiao Ying, who was kneeling behind the main bridge serving, was not dressed in brocade; he merely wore a garment made of coarse cloth for today's visit to the Zhou residence. Although the coarse cloth was of a similar quality to silk, being the place of production, the price was much lower.