Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 3 Couplet
Nanny Zhao was not a born servant in the Jia family. She was a newly bought servant by Lai Da, the steward of the Rongguo Mansion, ten years ago.

Ten years ago, Zhao Ma's old master was in trouble and all the criminals in the mansion were to be sold. Lai Dajie saw that Zhao Ma was well-behaved and had a baby in her arms, so she bought her to be Jia Cong's wet nurse.

Nanny Zhao's husband died a few years ago. She and her only son Guo Zhigui lived in a bungalow on the back street of Rongguo Mansion. Many relatives of the slaves from the Ning and Rong mansions lived nearby.

Early in the morning, Nanny Zhao sent her son to post the couplet written by Jia Cong.

The water-dyed red saltpeter paper used to write couplets was specially bought by Madam Zhao. This paper is vermilion in color and is a low-priced and inferior paper. Ordinary people usually buy it to write couplets. If you smell it carefully, you will find a pungent smell.

The couplet reads: Spring brings good fortune to the hall, and the sun shines auspiciously in the courtyard.

The words on the couplet are gentle and clear, elegant and ethereal, with outstanding grace, which makes people feel amazed and shocked at first sight.

Not long after the couplets were posted, anyone passing by the door, whether literate or illiterate, could not help but take a few glances at them.

But a middle-aged scholar passing by stopped in front of the couplet and refused to leave for a long time, with a look of horror and fear on his face.

……

In the cramped courtyard, Jia Cong looked at Zhi Shao, whose face was a little pale, and asked, "But you haven't received your monthly allowance yet."

Zhi Shao remained silent for a long while before she said hesitantly, "Wang Shanbao said that the eldest master no longer wants the third master to study."

After saying this, Zhishao secretly glanced at Jia Cong and saw that he did not show any sign of grievance. His expression was calm and there was no sign of joy or anger.

Ever since Jia Cong recovered from his injury, Zhishao noticed that he suddenly became more studious and read every book he could find in the house over and over again.

But apart from some enlightenment items, there were only a few incomplete copies of the Four Books in the room.

Jia Cong never had much spare money and could not afford to buy other miscellaneous books. Before he was injured, his attitude towards reading was neither enthusiastic nor disgusted.

He roughly knew his situation and knew that the only way out for him was studying, but his talent was average, so whether he could succeed in his studies was another matter.

Now that he had been severely beaten, he suddenly became diligent in studying, and Zhishao was very happy.

"If I didn't get it, then I didn't get it. I won't starve to death in the yard. I'll figure out how to study on my own."

Based on the remaining memories of his original self and Jia Cong's understanding of the narrative of the Dream of the Red Chamber, he was not very interested in studying at the Jia Clan Charity School.

The teacher of the charity school was Jia Dairu, who had taken exams all his life but never passed. He was just a pedantic and fussy old scholar.

This old Confucian scholar is a tragic figure created by this strict and indifferent family.

He lost his father at an early age, his son in middle age, and studied hard all his life, but achieved nothing.

Jia Zheng, a younger generation from the same clan who was equally dull in talent, had a fate very different from his.

Just because Jia Daishan submitted a will to the emperor before his death, Jia Zheng, who was poorly educated, was awarded the fifth-rank official position of Deputy Director of the Ministry of Works.

Although he was not considered a high-ranking official, it was a high position in the capital that many top-ranking Jinshi scholars could not achieve even after working hard their entire lives.

Jia Dairu, who came from a poor family, could only make a living by teaching at home.

Although he disciplined his only grandson Jia Rui strictly, there was no doubt that his education was a failure.

After all, Jia Rui had a flawed personal morality. Because he peeped at Feng Jieer, he was framed and killed by Feng Lazi.

Jia Dairu is sympathetic, but it is unlikely that a man of such a rigid and conservative nature could have much understanding and expression of the meaning of the classics.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the exam until his beard turned white and still not passed the exam.

What can you learn from such a pedantic scholar? Before you find a famous teacher, it is better to study on your own.

In his previous life, he was a graduate of literature and history and had a deep knowledge of Chinese studies. In that era when all kinds of lecture halls were prevalent, he had accumulated some insights and perspectives.

Although I could not pass the examination with these, my perspective and method in studying the classics were much higher than that of people today.

Moreover, Jia Dairu was careless in managing the charity school, and even let his unreliable grandson Jia Rui take charge of it.

The charity school had long been a mess of lazy students, and later the playboy Xue Pan also went to the charity school to cultivate his sexual habits. It was better not to go to such a messy place.

But not wanting to go to charity school doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to study.

Studying is his only way to turn his life around. If he can't study anymore, he will continue to be bullied in the East Courtyard, and when he is fourteen or fifteen years old, he will be kicked out of the Jia Mansion and fend for himself. He doesn't want to live a lowly life.

Maybe I have to think of some way to allow myself to study with a legitimate reason. If Jia She and his wife insist on being stumbling blocks, the worst that can happen is that they can just move them away without making a fuss.

He was reincarnated, and although on the surface he would not disobey the couple out of filial piety and courtesy, he had no parental love in his heart, and what's more, they were bent on humiliating him.

There were hurried footsteps in the yard, and Jia Cong saw Nanny Zhao walking in with a smile on her face.

Jia Cong asked curiously, "Look how happy mom is, what good news has happened to her?"

Zhao Ma Ma smiled and said, "It's not a happy thing. My brother hasn't had his period for a long time, and the cost of recuperation is very high. Now the famine is over."

Then he took out ten taels of silver and placed them on the table, saying, "Brother, take this and use it. If you need paper, pen, or something delicious, feel free to buy them."

Jia Cong knew that this ingot of silver was almost equal to Zhao Ma's half-year allowance. Because of him, her monthly allowance was often shortchanged by Mrs. Xing.

Fortunately, his son works as a coachman in Xifu, so his monthly salary will not be short of money, otherwise life would be difficult.

So she could not come up with so much money herself, and Jia Cong knew there was another reason.

"If I hadn't said more about the preciousness of scholars, my brother would have written a couplet and I would have posted it on the door. So many people would have stood there to look at it."

"Later, an old scholar came by and liked the couple so much that he insisted on buying them for ten taels of silver."

Jia Cong and Zhi Shao were dumbfounded when they heard this. Just those ten-odd words written yesterday were actually worth ten taels of silver.

Yesterday, the two of them were still sulking because Wang Shanbao's family withheld two taels of monthly salary.

"The old scholar also said that the calligraphy on the couplet was a masterpiece and he had never seen anything better than that. He even asked who wrote it."

"Later, I heard that it was written by a young man from the Rongguo Mansion, and that the young man was only ten years old. I would never believe it, and even said that young people are to be feared."

Aunt Zhao smiled happily. She felt proud for a moment that the man raised by her breasts was capable of doing such things.

Jia Cong was puzzled. The old scholar should be a well-educated man. Could it be that he couldn't tell which calligraphy he was copying?

In his previous life, his maternal grandfather was the most famous painting mounter in Jiangnan.

Throughout history, those who are good at mounting paintings are all good at calligraphy and painting, have profound knowledge and are able to apply what they have learned to other areas. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to become famous painting mounters.

His maternal grandfather was such a person, especially good at calligraphy. He laid a solid foundation in calligraphy from his maternal grandfather since he was a child.

Later, he worked at the Provincial Museum and accidentally came across a incomplete and anonymous calligraphy scroll.

The calligraphy includes regular and running styles, which are inherited from the Two Wangs, the Wei and Jin dynasties, and also absorb the essence of many famous calligraphers of the Song and Yuan dynasties, forming a school of its own.

The font is exquisite and unique, and is not inferior to those of many famous calligraphers from the Song and Yuan dynasties.

Anyone who could write such calligraphy should have been famous, but because the book itself was incomplete, it is impossible to identify the writer.

We can only test the paper used in the calligraphy and conclude that the writer was from the Yuan or Ming dynasties.

Although "Dream of Red Mansions" conceals the chronology of dynasties, it is set in the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is close to the time when the anonymous author lived.

All students, college students and officials need to practice good handwriting. Such exquisite and unique fonts should be widely known.

I thought that people of this era might recognize who created this font.

But the old scholar was only surprised that the couplet was written by a ten-year-old boy, and it seemed that he didn't even know from whom the handwriting was copied.

He felt a little touched. Since waking up, he had been trapped in this cramped and dilapidated courtyard.

He had no idea what dynasty the outside world was in, or how much the history deviated from the one he remembered.

In order to survive better in this world, he must know this information.

"Now that I have money, I am not well enough to go out for the time being. Mom, please buy me some books and rice paper tomorrow."

Madam Zhao said, "That's easy. Wenhan Street is home to the largest bookstore in Shenjing. They have books, paper, and pens. We can buy some for you when we get there."

(End of this chapter)