Riding the wind of rebirth

“This Shen Benren has a bit of the air about him, like King Zhuang of Chu,” Zhang Xinyi remarked as she admired the main gate in front of the hall.

Coming through the water wall gate, the entrance leads to the second hall, with patterns such as "Ruyi" and "treasure basin" carved on the moon beam above the door.

"Legend has it that Shen Wansan, an ancestor of the Shen family, started his fortune with a treasure bowl," Zhou Zhi told everyone. Zhang Xinyi then said that the legend sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Zhou Zhi laughed and said, "My sworn brother Wu Qiaomu, the legend of how the Wu family got rich is similar to this. The simple-minded fourth great-grandmother was sleeping in a cave and found a few gold and silver ingots. The Wu family mobilized overnight and emptied the cave, and from then on they became rich."

“Yes! I think I’ve heard you tell this story before!” Zhang Xinyi nodded.

Passing through the entrance hall and the courtyard, you reach the third courtyard, the sedan chair hall, which was used to receive ordinary guests and store sedan chairs and tea carriers. On the two rear pillars inside the hall are engraved a couplet written by Zuo Zongtang: "Great trees, hundreds of spans in circumference, produce ancient sounds; red silk, three sighs, lingering melodies." This implies that one can hear celestial music here.

What is the story behind "Zhu Si's Three Sighs"?

"This is a line from a poem by Su Dongpo, adapted by Zuo Zongtang. The original line should be: 'A great tree with a hundred spans produces distant sounds; the red strings sigh three times and leave behind a lingering melody.'" Zhou Zhi explained: "The red strings represent the music of the grand temple, which comes from the 'Record of Music' in the Book of Rites: 'The zither of the Qingmiao Temple has red strings that are sparse and resonant. With one note, it sighs three times and leaves behind a lingering melody.' Later generations used it to refer to the exquisite nature of ritual music."

"When Zuo Zongtang used this line, the first line praised the courtyard for being large and old, while the second line praised the owner for not listening to decadent music like 'Zheng Sheng' even when he was relaxing and enjoying himself. It implies that the owner is a respectable person."

"I feel like this is a bit of a cover-up," Ye Xin said with a smile. "This couplet should be placed in a study, with an ancient painting of a scholar playing the zither by a pine forest and spring in the middle. That would be more appropriate."

“It might have originally been like this, but the painting was lost later, and the owner, because of the celebrity effect, had the couplet carved here.” Zhou Zhi gave Ye Xin a thumbs up: “Actually, there are no big trees here, so this couplet might really be as Xin Xin said, suitable for matching with landscape paintings by famous people.”

Beyond the sedan chair hall lies the front gate tower, a magnificent structure about seven meters high. It is topped with flying eaves and corners, supported by brick arches and goose-neck brackets. The lotus-shaped pillars on both sides are carved with lotus patterns, and below are exquisite five-layered brick carvings, all arranged in a compact manner, depicting scenes from plays such as "The Romance of the Western Chamber" and "Dream of the Red Chamber".

The central lintel bears the inscription "Accumulated Glory" in four characters. It has been restored and covered with chalk, with the characters darkened in black. The characters are dignified and elegant. Unfortunately, the calligrapher did not leave his name. The surrounding lintel is engraved with a delicate relief of "Red Plum Welcoming Spring," a clever design.

"Does 'accumulating wealth and then spending it all' mean?" Mai Xiaomiao asked.

Zhou Zhi suppressed a laugh and patiently explained, "That's not what it means. 'Hou' refers to kindness and integrity. The overall meaning is to accumulate one's own virtues and let them spread like the brilliance of the sun and moon, so that others may also benefit."

"I thought it meant that the owner should be careful because they had worked hard to save up money but then spent it all so easily," Mai Xiaomiao said, covering her mouth and laughing.

"There are such people, like Fan Li, who later became Tao Zhugong while boating on West Lake. He accumulated hundreds of millions of wealth three times and then gave it all away three times. In later generations, he became the God of Wealth in our country."

After passing through the Shikumen gate, the main hall, Songmaotang, comes into view. The main hall is much more impressive than the two halls in front of it. It occupies a floor area of ​​four zhang wide and four zhang deep, with an eave height of one zhang. It has corridors in the front and back and a flat frame.

The inner four-section building connects to the Crane Neck Pavilion in the front and the Double Steps in the back. The beams of the pavilion are decorated with exquisite carvings and gilded, making it far more luxurious than all the buildings in front of it.

There are side rooms on both sides, and the upper floor connects to the front and rear wing rooms. The roof is a gable roof, and the beams and pillars in the hall are carved with dragon, phoenix and flower reliefs, with vivid and lifelike patterns.

The entire hall is paved with square bricks, giving it a solid and solemn feel. A plaque bearing the inscription "Songmao Hall" hangs high above, and bamboo grows in the courtyards on either side of the hall. The plaque bears the name of the calligrapher—Zhang Jian, a renowned figure in the late Qing Dynasty. He first achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations, and later became a prominent figure in the Westernization Movement, a national businessman who promoted industrial development to save the country. It seems quite fitting that he left his calligraphy here.

“Chinese people value filial piety, and the plaques in the main hall usually use words that pray for the parents’ well-being. For example, if both parents are alive, it would be ‘Bamboo and Pine in Full Bloom’; if the father passed away early and only the mother is left in the family, it would be ‘Bamboo and Pine in Full Bloom’ or ‘Pine in Bloom’; if only the father is left, it would be ‘Pine in Full Bloom’ or ‘Crane in Leisure’ or similar words.” Zhou Zhi said, “This place is called Songmao Hall, which means that Master Shen’s mother died relatively early.”

"What's the point of having so many rules?" Mai Xiaomiao wondered.

“Indeed, it doesn’t seem to be of much use.” Zhou Zhi laughed. “It might be more convenient for guests who are not very familiar with the host to greet the host’s parents. If you enter Songmao Hall, don’t be rash and greet other people’s mothers.”

"People in ancient times had so many rules." Ye Xin frowned. "This top scholar's handwriting doesn't even look as good as yours."

"It's just a perfunctory work." Zhou Zhi also felt that Zhang Jian's calligraphy was inferior to his own, but he absolutely refused to believe that a top scholar could be so bad. There was only one possibility: when Zhang Jian wrote the calligraphy, he didn't show his true skills at all.

Looking at the couplets on both sides, Zhou Zhi frowned.

Rongzong never forgot his roots, and through twists and turns, he reaffirmed his commitment to the great cause.

Yaozu Shangshiren, through several rounds of trade, fulfilled his grand ambition.

Although the couplet cleverly incorporates the "Daye Hall" of the Shen family's old residence and the "Jingye Hall" founded by Shen Benren, the couplet itself violates the rules of prosody, with several places not matching the tones. This made Zhou Zhi feel quite awkward.

Moreover, this couplet is too straightforward and lacks any elegance. It doesn't even reach the level of an ordinary person, let alone the level of a top scholar.

Further on, you enter the main hall, which marks the beginning of the inner courtyard, the living quarters of the women of the household. The railings, window lattice structures, and other features here are all redesigned, clearly drawing on the strengths of Hui-style architecture, resulting in a softer and more elegant feel.

The couplets on both sides have also been improved: "Green bamboo and yellow flowers are all Buddha-nature; white clouds and flowing water are Zen mind." They can be considered a decent couplet.

Further on is another brick-carved gatehouse, which is smaller than the previous one and is inscribed with the four characters "世德作求" (Shi De Zuo Qiu). It is called the Small Hall Building.

The most peculiar thing is that there is a reclining stone ox carved in the courtyard in front of the building. The stone ox is lifelike and the same size as a water buffalo in the south, which means that the owner does not forget that his ancestor Shen Wansan started his business by farming.

The local tourism and cultural department has made significant renovations to the site, placing a seated statue of Shen Wansan and a glittering treasure bowl in front of him. According to the description, visitors can toss coins here to pray for good fortune. It is said that if a coin hits Shen Wansan's gold ingot, it will bring wealth and prosperity.

Zhou Zhi didn't want to fall for this trick at all, but he couldn't resist the girls' incredible enthusiasm.

Mai Xiaomiao and Ye Xin were the first to hit the gold ingot, but Zhang Xinyi missed several times. Finally, Zhou Zhi taught her to pinch all the coins in her hand and do a "celestial maiden scattering flowers" move, which worked.

Then Zhou Zhi secretly praised Shen Wansan for his remarkable ability to make money; even after being dead for over three hundred years, he had managed to empty all the coins from their person. (End of Chapter)