Chapter 5, The Sun Also Rises

The physical exhaustion is indeed very real. Upon reaching the mountain peak, Chen Cao was almost too tired to stand upright, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He quickly found a rock to sit on and rest, realizing that his body was truly frail and needed to be strengthened.

Chen Cao's inquiry: "Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

Lai De shook his head and said, "Not at all, but the local villagers say so. There are even people who want to ask the old immortal to take them as disciples. They knelt for three days and three nights, but the old immortal paid them no mind and just sat there eating his elixir of immortality"

Jiuyou Mountain is not high, but the four-mile path from the foot of the mountain to the peak left Chen Cao panting. Moreover, it rained last night, making the mountain path slippery, and he nearly slipped several times. However, the lush forests, bamboo groves, wildflowers, and the melodious calls of mountain birds along the way were truly refreshing. Every mountain surrounding West Lake is indeed beautiful.

Lai De responded, "Yes." He climbed onto a large rock at the mountain's peak, gazed northward, and pointed towards the distant, misty expanse of Jinniu Lake, saying, "On the Baoshi Mountain by the Hubei border, there is an old immortal who can concoct elixirs for eternal life. This old immortal can ride the clouds and mist, and is extremely powerful."

Lai Fu's younger son, Lai De, is one year older than Chen Cao. He has thick eyebrows and big eyes, and while he is slightly shorter than Chen Cao, he has thick legs and arms, making him quite robust. Early in the morning, Lai De was herding cattle at the foot of Jiu Yao Mountain. Upon seeing the young lord enthusiastically wanting to climb the mountain for exercise, he decided to follow along.

Chen Cao smiled and asked, "Are there any reclusive masters nearby who possess martial arts skills or know the Five Animal Play?"

Chen Cao's principle: "There is nothing to be gained; no one can encroach upon the land of our West Building."

Chen Cao laughed heartily, stood up, and gazed towards West Lake in the north of the mountain. He wondered who the old immortal mentioned by Lai De could be; it should be a practitioner of the Tianshi Dao. From Jiuyao Mountain, one would have to detour around West Lake to reach Baoshi Mountain, which is approximately over twenty miles. After some time, once he has strengthened his legs, he would invite Lai De to visit that old immortal, as it might very well be a historical figure of great renown.

It is amusing that, because Run'er was sitting opposite Zongzhi, who was reading a scroll word by word as taught by his grandmother, Run'er was watching from across the table. Although she recognized the characters, she was reading them all in reverse. It took a considerable effort to correct this later.

But what can one do when there are no books to read

Chen Cao made a circular motion in the air with his right hand and said, "If the area around Jin Niu Lake were entirely ours in the West Tower, that would be splendid"

Lai De clenched his large fist and said in a deep voice, "Yes, whoever dares to occupy this place, I will fight them to the death!" Growing up in Chenjiawu, Lai De had long regarded the Chen family of the West Building as his own family, sharing joys and sorrows, life and death together.

In the following days, Chen Caozhi insisted on climbing Jiuyao Mountain twice a day, in the morning and at dusk. Although his calves were sore, such minor discomfort was nothing for him as an experienced hiker. He understood that the first few days would be a bit challenging, but it would get better afterward, and his body would gradually become stronger

The circular earthen fortress of Chenjiawu is built against the mountain, which is Jiuyao Mountain. Jiuyao Mountain was named by Chen Su, the father of Chen Cao, who said that under the moonlit night, the mountain peaks appeared clustered together, resembling the arrangement of the sun, moon, and stars, hence the name Jiuyao Mountain

Lai De chuckled, "Young Lord, look at this vast expanse of farmland; our West Tower occupies a large portion of it. Hehe, it truly looks impressive!"

Lai De can only tend to cattle and dig the ground, and is not skilled in martial arts

Lai De observed Chen Cao Zhi's silence as he stood quietly to one side. At that moment, the first ray of morning sunlight shone through, seemingly piercing directly into Chen Cao Zhi's deep eyes. In an instant, this handsome youth sparkled like pearls and jade under the sun, dazzling Lai De's eyes. He then heard Chen Cao Zhi softly say, "The sun rises as usual"

Madam Chen, of the Li family, stood outside the window listening to the clear sounds of her son and two grandsons studying in the study. Her eyes became moist; with such studious and excellent children and grandchildren, how could the Chen family of the West Building not prosper!

Lai De recalled something he had overheard from his parents last night, and he then asked, "Little Lord, is it true that the North Tower intends to seize our land in the West Tower?"

In this era, individuals seek depth rather than breadth in their reading, and opportunities for extensive reading are rare. Therefore, mastering one or two classics is sufficient to establish oneself in the scholarly community. Chen Caozhi has already memorized the two classics annotated by Zheng Xuan and Ma Rong, and his understanding of their principles is fundamentally clear. However, Chen Caozhi is not satisfied with this alone, as there have been dozens of commentaries on the Analects since the Qin and Han dynasties, each offering unique perspectives. Moreover, the Wei and Jin dynasties favored using metaphysics to interpret Confucian classics. Notable works such as He Yan's "Collected Exegesis on the Analects" and the genius Wang Bi's "Questions on the Analects," which are rooted in Laozi and Zhuangzi's thoughts, exemplify this approach. For Chen Caozhi to be accepted and appreciated by the high-ranking gentry, it is insufficient to merely study the Han Confucian classics; he must also delve into the commentaries of He Yan and Wang Bi. Mastery of both metaphysics and Confucianism is Chen Caozhi's goal.

Every day at https://m.hetushu.com in the morning, Chen Cao reads through Zheng Xuan's "Mao Shi Jian" and then practices calligraphy for half an hour. In the afternoon, he reads Ma Rong's "Lunyu Jiejie" and practices calligraphy for another half hour, first with his left hand and then with his right hand. He uses his left hand for the "Xuan Shi Biao" and his right hand for the "Zhang Han Si Lu Tie," the latter of which has no reference to copy from, relying solely on memory.

Run'er is very intelligent. No one has taught her to read; she quietly observed and listened while her grandmother taught her elder brother, Chen Zongzhi, to read. As long as Zongzhi recognized a character, she would recognize it too. The siblings' introductory reading material was surprisingly the "Analects of Confucius." They focused solely on recognizing the characters, and it was fine if they did not understand the meanings; explanations would come a few years later.

At the age of 8, Zong had already recognized all the characters in the "Analects," and at 6, Run had done the same; however, they did not understand the meanings within the text at all. Therefore, Chen Caozhi was tasked with explaining the principles contained therein to the two of them

The mountain breeze blows gently, the bamboo and wood rustle softly, and the West Lake, nestled among the shadows of the mountains and trees, seems within reach. To the east, the horizon is ablaze with myriad rays of dawn, as a red sun is about to rise.

During the Wei and Jin dynasties, official education declined while private education flourished. Young individuals relied entirely on the enlightenment provided by their fathers and elder relatives, which is the essence of family education. Chen Caozhi's understanding of the "Analects" was taught to him by his elder brother, Chen Qingzhi. Now, he imparts this knowledge to his nephews and nieces. Of course, Chen Caozhi's comprehension of the "Analects" is now more profound than that of his elder brother, Chen Qingzhi, and his explanations are both insightful and accessible.

Chen expressed his admiration for Lai De's composure and ease, as if traversing a flat road on a rugged mountain path. He asked, "Lai De, do you possess any martial skills?"

What troubled Chen Caozhi was that there were simply too few books available. He was now eager for knowledge, yet suffered from the lack of reading materials. In this era, books were extremely precious; not to mention the ancient bamboo slips, even silk and paper books were quite rare. Having money did not guarantee access to them, as one could only rely on borrowing and hand-copying. The hundreds of volumes of "Mao Shi Jian" and "Lunyu Jijie" in Chen Caozhi's study were personally transcribed by Chen Su during his time.

The northern face of Jiuyou Mountain overlooks West Lake, while the southern side extends to the area of Yuhuang Mountain, which is covered with vast fields, approximately over 3,000 mu in total. These lands were granted to the Qiantang Chen family. Between the fields, there are narrow ridges separating the plots, and at the boundary where the mountains meet the fields, more than twenty households are distributed, all of which are tenants cultivating the Chen family's lands.

While Chen Caozhi was practicing reading and calligraphy, his pair of niece and nephew sat obediently at the edge of the reed mat, their pairs of distinctly black and white eyes fixed on this handsome young uncle, filled with admiration. This was especially true when Chen Caozhi practiced calligraphy, as his left and right hands produced different styles of writing, causing the two little ones to widen their eyes in astonishment, their small mouths gently making a "pah" sound, expressing their amazement.

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