Chapter Fourteen: The Third Elder of the Xiao Family
Everyone walked to a pond in the backyard and walked onto a white jade arch bridge. The railings on both sides of the arch bridge were carved with various forms of phoenixes. They were classically beautiful and the carvings were delicate. From the bridge, you could see a red paint column on the other side. Inside the glazed tiled Eight Treasures Pavilion, there is an old man in cloth, hunched over, holding a fishing rod in his hand, and he is concentrating on fishing.
The three of them were led by Butler Xiao. When they were more than twenty steps away from the pavilion, the old man in civilian clothes raised his fishing rod and caught a golden fish, about two taels.
"Golden dragon crucian carp!" Liu Lin spoke first.
"The visitor is very knowledgeable. I am the only one in the Eastern Region who can see the golden dragon and crucian carp in the courtyard of the Xiao family." The old man in cloth clothes put the fish in the fish basket, stood up, and said to everyone.
"Shen Wande has met the third elder"
"Shen Li has met the third elder." Both father and son saluted and said.
When Butler Xiao saw that someone had been brought, he bowed respectfully to the old man in cloth clothes and then left.
"The guests of the Shen family have come from afar. Please excuse yourself and take a seat." The third elder patted his pants and sat on the stone bench made of spiritual stone in the pavilion.
There was a stone table and four stone benches in the pavilion. The three of them pretended to be polite and sat on the stone benches.
Shen Wande was about to speak, but the third elder spoke first: "It's autumn now, and the weather is getting colder. Can the three guests write a poem with the theme of autumn?"
Shen Wande is doing well in business, but has trouble writing poetry.
There is a swordsman in Liulin who only knows how to cut people, but he can't write poetry.
Shen Li stood up and opened his mouth and said: "Young man, I'm just trying to show off my ugliness."
Shen Li walked a few steps to the pond. He saw that the lotus flowers on the pond had faded and only the lotus leaves were left. After pretending to think about it, he chanted with emotion:
“Autumn is not necessarily sad, but the slight cold is a pleasant thing.
The green pond is all gone, but the red flowers are gone, and the lotus leaves are still blooming."
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" The third elder stood up, walked towards Shen Li, and gave a thumbs up.
"I have long heard that the young students from the Chuyun Empire are talented and have outstanding literary talent. I am very happy to see you today. This is not the place to talk about things. Please come to our humble residence and talk." The third elder picked up the bamboo pole and fish basket and walked in. In front, three people followed closely behind.
Not far away, six servants lined up to greet him, three women and three men. The third elder gave the fishing gear to one of the servants and said, "Bring the golden dragon crucian carp to the back kitchen to make soup. I have to entertain guests at noon."
"Yes, Third Elder." After saying this, the male servant withdrew.
The third elder pointed to a female servant and said, "Bring the three distinguished guests to my study."
"Yes, Third Elder." After the servant said that, she made a "please" gesture to the three visitors.
The female servant led the way, and the three of them followed. The third elder walked in the other direction surrounded by four servants.
The maid took the three of them to the study and said, "Dear guest, please wait a moment. The third elder will be here soon."
After the maid left, the three of them found a place to sit down, and did not dare to move around, because everything in the study, whether on the table or on the wall, was valuable, and the three of them could not afford to pay for it if it was broken.
Immediately after, two maids came in with tea. Liu Lin was about to say something, but he didn't say anything when he saw the maids coming in. He waited until the maids had left.
Liu Lin said to Shen Wande: "What kind of medicine is this old man selling in his gourd?"
"Master Liu, please be patient. No matter what, as long as the third elder is happy, half of our problems will be solved." Shen Wande said.
"It's all up to you, Li'er. As a father, I have been doing business with your grandfather since I was a child, and I haven't studied for a few years." Shen Wande said to Shen Li again.
"Don't worry, father." Shen Li said with a smile.
After a while, the third elder came, changed into a purple patterned python costume, and wore a gold crown on his head.
"Change your clothes, everyone has been waiting for a long time." The third elder said with a smile on his face.
As soon as the third elder arrived, the Shen family's father and son hurriedly stood up and saluted.
"Third Elder is too polite, and I can't bear it." Shen Wande said respectfully.
"Your name is Shen Wande, right?" the third elder asked.
"Yes, Third Elder." Shen Wande made arrangements with his hands.
"Everyone, please sit down and talk." The third elder stretched out his hand and made a "please" gesture.
After the four of them sat down, the third elder said to Shen Wande: "The housekeeper told me yesterday about your affairs, so there is no need to say anything more. I really like your young master because he is so majestic and talented."
"The third elder is really overly rewarded. Why don't Li'er thank the third elder quickly?" Shen Wande said.
"Shen Li thanked the third elder for the compliment." Shen Li stood up and saluted.
"Shen Li, your poem with the theme of autumn just now is perfect. Do you have any other masterpieces that I can appreciate?"
"I can't speak of a masterpiece. I did write a poem that I thought was pretty good."
"Oh? My friend, please move to the desk and write on the paper." The third elder stood up and guided Shen Li to the huge desk. Shen Wande and Liu Lin also stood up and followed.
Shen Li first poured water into the inkstone, used his thumb and middle finger, and held the ink stick with his index finger. He pressed it gently and slowly, grinding it slowly. The resulting ink was neither dry nor light, moderately moist, and had a light aroma.
"Great ink!" Shen Li praised.
"This ink ingot comes from Yipin Pavilion. The manufacturing technique has been lost for thousands of years. Using one ingot is one less." The third elder said with a smile.
Shen Li knew about the "Yipin Pavilion". Thousands of years ago, when the Eastern Territory was still a unified country - the Xia Kingdom, the "Yipin Pavilion" was an institution dedicated to providing the Four Treasures of the Study for the royal nobles at that time.
A random ink ingot turned out to be an antique from a thousand years ago. Shen Li cursed in his heart: "The evil capitalism!"
After grinding the ink, Shen Li was confused: "Should I give you one from elementary school or junior high school? Li Bai's or Du Fu's? Forget it, let's keep it simple."
Shen Li picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, with a serious and focused facial expression, holding the pen firmly and firmly, and started writing.
"Looking at the waterfall,
Purple smoke rises from the incense burner in the sunshine, and you can see the waterfall and Kageqianchuan River in the distance.
The flying stream plummets down three thousand feet, and it is suspected that the Milky Way has fallen into the sky."
Shen Li's pen moves like a dragon and a snake in one go, and his fonts are strong and powerful, with a hint of edge.
"What a 'Flying down three thousand feet, it seems that the Milky Way has fallen into the sky'! It's wonderful! It's wonderful!" the third elder applauded.
"Here comes someone!" the third elder shouted towards the door.
"What are the instructions from the Third Elder?" the maid who had just delivered the tea came in and said a blessing ceremony.
"Go and ask someone to frame this text for me." The third elder pointed at the desk and said.
"Yes, Third Elder." After saying this, the maid left.
"Little friend, please stay in the Xiao Mansion. I will find a position for you in the Taiyuan Academy and ensure your bright future." The third elder looked at Shen Li appreciatively.
Shen Li thought to himself: "Brother, this is the poem I learned in the second grade of elementary school and I've fooled you."
"Third Elder, I need to listen to my father's opinion on this matter." Shen Li turned his attention to Shen Wande.
"You kid, why don't you quickly thank the third elder!" Shen Wande said.
"Boy, thank you to the third elder." Shen Li bowed and was about to kneel down when he was supported by the third elder.
"You don't have to be polite, my little friend. Although the head of the family has not yet designated a female descendant in the family to betrothed to you, sooner or later you will be my uncle of the Xiao family. You can accompany me to fish for a few days at the Xiao family."
"The kindness of Third Elder's acquaintance will be unforgettable to young Shen Li." Shen Li said respectfully.