Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 16: Sigh, the bird fell into the bamboo cage and the beauty was left behind

In this world, principles are the easiest to talk about, but human affairs are the hardest to handle. Ever since the kitchen was burned down last time, San Heng dared not let his precious husband get close to any household chores - after the Qingming Festival, Liu Jiaoan no longer had to go up the mountain to pick tea.

Half a cup of tea brings leisure to one's mood. How can one write new poems without talent? Fortunately, a pine tree shadow reflects this ink-and-wash Jiangnan, so that Guan Yin does not get bored while searching for the way back to reality.

"Is this story the beginning, or the story after the test-taker grows old?"

"Other people have a system that knows how to return to reality, but why don't I have any memory left?" People are all hypocritical. At this time, Guan Yin was only thinking about how to return to his own world. He was not in the mood to think about the fact that time travel was not in line with common sense. "It would be nice if I could be a teacher."

A gust of wind whistled, startling a flock of flying birds. Guan Yin looked outside when he heard the sound, and saw Sanheng holding a slingshot in his hand, aiming at a place not far in front of him. The target must be a bird that was startled and flew away from the flock.

"Mantingfang? Dressed as Guan... Guan Zushang." Seeing the name written on the paper, Guan Yin was shocked at the original person's boldness.

"The wind sends the blue sky, the whip urges the evening road. How many times have I been to the temple to relieve my sorrow. The red robe and belt support the building layer by layer. I dare to write new songs morning and night, and the river is always clear in four seasons. I only hope that my children and grandchildren will have a full career, so that I can comfort my early gray hair."

This person is obviously an old man who has retired to the countryside. I think he used to hold a high position in the government... Is this the original owner writing about her father? Or is this someone else?

Guan Yin thought of what Cheng Heng said, "The article is the author himself", and Guan Yin was more willing to believe that everything in the text could be traced back to its original self.

"Lao Dan comes on stage."

"Swim around the ground."

"I return to the garden and wait quietly, the sound of the night water drips, my silk clothes are soaked with tears as I send my son off a thousand miles away."

Looking at these words, Guan Yin suddenly realized that he might have made a big mistake - was it really reasonable to sing along with the tune he had assumed?

The script had already been delivered. No matter how anxious Guan Yin was, it would be useless. He could only continue reading the papers in front of him, trying to find some valuable content: "Meeting..."

There is nothing much in the middle. After the old lady and the "outside" meet, they just talk about the past. The couple lament the ups and downs in their official careers and the rare opportunity to return to the garden and farm. It can be said that they have finally escaped the suppression of treacherous officials and are enjoying a long life.

The few students he taught were considered a breath of fresh air. Now they are serving the country and occasionally send letters back to thank the two elders and ask about the situation of their younger junior fellow, the two elders' late-born son.

"Ah..." Guan Yin sighed. Those who were loyal to the emperor and patriotic never cared about gains and losses. This was why generations of ancient people, even if they knew they would die, could still suppress their last fear with the words "willing to die".

"Front cavity."

"Sheng held the whip and bowed."

"I whipped my whip and walked away, praying to knock at the gate of heaven. The scholar who descended also prayed for the spring literature!"

At this point in the story, it is obvious that the "sheng" who just came on stage is the protagonist of this scene, and is the late-born son of the two old men mentioned above... Guan Yin suddenly had an ominous thought, and after a sudden tremor in his heart, he finally suppressed it.

"I advise the God to shake himself up again and send down talents regardless of their background." He suppressed his original thought that the old couple might face a miserable old age. Guan Yin inexplicably remembered this sentence from "Miscellaneous Poems of Ji Hai" - it seems that from ancient times to the present, these idealistic people have never sought glory for themselves. I hope that all the wise men in the world can comfort my heart and defend the country. How big a heart does it take to not care about personal gains and losses, but only consider the country and the people? How much courage does it take to dare to send his only offspring to the official career after encountering darkness in the officialdom?

"My husband, are you writing before you look at me?" Sanheng, who was originally standing outside the window, came over at some point and stood beside Guan Yin, holding a cup of cold tea.

It seemed that Guan Yin was too deeply immersed in it and did not notice San Heng even though he had been standing beside him for a while.

"Do you want to see it?"

"My husband, you are joking. Sanheng doesn't even know a few words." As he spoke, Sanheng was at a loss. He seemed to want to put down the teacup in his hand, but he didn't know whether he should stay here any longer. "Uh, my husband, the tea is cold... Sanheng, go..."

Reaching out to block Sanheng's way, Guan Yin stood up and pulled a small square stool in front of him, deciding to repeat the previous story to Sanheng in front of him.

Guan Yin certainly had selfish motives, and San Heng might have also heard some stories about his original body.

"This story tells of a young man named Guan who went to Beijing for an imperial examination. His parents saw him off at night. Recalling the past, they were worried about the many setbacks their son might face on this trip, but they still resolutely let him go so that he could make achievements and serve the country."

People always say that opera has a slow pace, but this short opening of just a few hundred words has clearly explained the life experiences of two generations. Guan Yin now doesn't think that such a story has a slow pace - on the contrary, every sentence is full of true feelings and every word is heartbreaking, which makes it more attractive than novels.

"He also has the surname Guan, is he my husband's ancestor?" Sure enough, San Heng started asking questions within a moment, "So, does my husband have the same plan to go to Beijing for the exam?"

Didn't Sanheng know his identity? However, judging from Liu Jiaoan's behavior in the past few days, she probably knew that her original body was a woman. Guan Yin began to hesitate again, thinking of quickly evading Sanheng: "I still need Madam to take care of me now. I will talk about family and national affairs when I can take care of myself!"

"That's right. Mr. Guan has a delicate face and doesn't look as burly as other men. If he were to go to the court, how could he defeat those big and strong men? Sanheng heard that they are all as strong as bulls, strong, strong..."

"Can you carry the cauldron?"

Sanheng blushed, but laughed openly: "Yes, that's exactly what Guan Xianggong said. Sanheng has only been to school for a few days, and the number of words he knows is not even comparable to Madam!"

"Not all the court officials are military commanders." Guan Yin was amused by Sanheng's open-mindedness, and his entire train of thought deviated from the original script. "Many civil officials are thin and weak. Otherwise, why would everyone be shocked by the contrast when the story of a civil official hitting his head against a pillar to express his determination spread?"

Guan Yin suddenly felt like he was coaxing a child. Sanheng's words were too absolute, and his words were three-tenths true and seven-tenths false. Think about the civil officials in the Song Dynasty who served as local officials and even led troops to fight. How could they be "weak as a chicken"?
"Oh... hey, Sanheng has never seen it. Sanheng also heard about it from others."

"Sanheng has only seen the master, and the master doesn't look as thin as Mr. Guan."

The master that Sanheng mentioned was most likely Liu Jiaoan’s father. Guan Yin suddenly wanted to know what kind of person this “master” was?

"If you don't have anything else to do, Sanheng will go and get busy first... The pot lid was smoked and turned black, so Sanheng is going to take it to the creek to brush it."

Speaking of the kitchen matter, Guan Yin felt so guilty that he could only nod, sat back in his chair angrily, and started staring at the pen and ink in front of him again.

(End of this chapter)