Top Scholar

Chapter 79 Love Artemisia

Three days later, Su Lu came to Daonan Hall to hand in his assignment. In the past two days, he had repeatedly revised and refined his essay "On the Love of Artemisia," and felt that it was much better than the first draft.

Zhu Liu took the homework presented by Su Lu and began to recite it, shaking his head and swaying his body:
"Among the plants and flowers in the world, many are pleasing to the eye and heart. In the past, Zhou Dunyi alone loved the lotus; since the Song Dynasty, scholars have only loved the green bamboo. I alone love the wormwood, which lives on the ridge of the field without being scorched, and clings to the fence without being obsequious. Its leaves carry a faint fragrance, its stems contain a wild charm, it grows stronger when rain hits it, and stands taller when the cold comes. It does not chase the beauty of peach and plum, nor does it admire the elegance of orchid and iris. It has a small use but no arrogance, and it keeps the ordinary but hides its wisdom."

I say that the lotus is the purest and most elegant of flowers; bamboo is the most resilient and upright of trees; and wormwood is the most honest and beneficial of grasses. Alas! The love for the lotus has been passed down for a thousand years, its reputation for purity endures; how many people today share my love for wormwood? The love for bamboo is indeed something that scholars cherish…”

Zhu Liu read it in one go, looking somewhat pleased with himself, and praised, "Not bad, not bad, finally it's not just plain language."

"It's all thanks to the original text; I'm just copying it verbatim," Su Lu said respectfully.

I thought to myself, if I just follow the example and it's still written in plain language, then I've completely wasted my time learning.
"Putting aside the imitation, the writing style has some merit. I never expected you to write prose with such genuine emotion and fitting language!" Headmaster Zhu praised again.
"Remember, when emotions and truth are upright, one's spirit is strong; when one's spirit is strong, one's words, whether short or long, high or low, are all appropriate."

"Yes," Su Lu replied respectfully.

"What a fine line, 'Living on the edge of a field without being discouraged, clinging to a fence without being obsequious.'" He glanced at Su Lu and said, "It seems you put real feelings into this article; you couldn't have written it without experiencing life firsthand."

"Yes." Su Lu nodded and said softly, "When I was conceiving this idea, the more I thought about the mugwort in the fields and behind the houses, the more I resonated with it. We children in the mountains are so much like mugwort. We are both as humble as grass and as light as feathers, both grow tenaciously, and both can be brought into the house and used for great purposes!"

“Indeed, this is exactly what Han Changli meant by ‘speaking out against injustice.’” Zhu Liu took a sip of tea and nodded slightly.
"The 'principle' of prose is by no means empty preaching; it should arise from genuine feelings and experiences. Whether it is concern for the world, adherence to principles, or enlightenment, it should all be a natural expression of genuine feelings, so as to reach people's hearts directly."

"Yes." Su Lu remembered every word the headmaster said; they were all precious gems.

"Now you understand why I made you write about artemisia, right?" Zhu Liu smiled smugly.

"Sir, you are truly farsighted." Su Lu was skeptical, but mutual flattery was necessary.

"Haha, I was just kidding you. I couldn't have thought that far ahead back then," the headmaster laughed heartily.

Seeing a student who is mature beyond his years, one might want to joke with him or tease him; this is a kind of human quirk.

Of course, Headmaster Zhu wasn't just teasing him; he would still give Su Lu serious lessons...

Zhu Liu then provided Su Lu with a detailed comparison of "On the Love of Artemisia" and "On the Love of Lotus," which made the shortcomings of the article immediately apparent.

"In 'On the Love of Lotus,' every sentence about the lotus embodies the virtues of a gentleman, with form and spirit blending seamlessly. Reading it, one immediately understands that 'a gentleman is like a lotus.'"

"However, in your 'On the Love of Artemisia,' although you point out the origin and resilience of artemisia, words such as 'fragrant aroma' and 'wild charm' are of no benefit to the imagery, and the connection between form and spirit is insufficient."

"Furthermore, the order of 'not discouraged,' 'not obsequious,' 'more vigorous,' and 'more upright' is insufficient, falling far short of the original text's layered progression of 'situation-posture-character' for the lotus, thus failing to fully elucidate the metaphorical meaning of the wormwood..."

After pointing out all the shortcomings, Zhu Liu then pointed out the directions for improvement one by one.

Zhu Shanzhang truly lives up to his reputation as Luzhou's top talent and a first-rate test-taker. When he discusses literature, he not only demonstrates breadth and depth, but also precision and breadth, enabling readers to not only understand what happened, but also why it happened, and even how it came to be!
It's simply a favorite of test-takers.

After listening, Su Lu felt as if he had been enlightened, and immediately revised the text, picking up his pen and writing it down with great effort—

"It grows in barren soil yet does not wither, it withstands wind and frost yet does not break, its leaves contain a bitter taste, and its stems benefit farmers!"

The article is now much more unified in form and spirit, and the writing flows much more smoothly!
Although I feel bad for saying this, Mr. Zhang, it's true that the headmaster's class is even more impressive than Boyi's...

~~
The lesson was very beneficial and lasted for almost half an hour before it ended.

Finally, Headmaster Zhu assigned him a new task, ordering him to write an "Inscription for the Bathhouse" in the style of "Inscription for a Humble Abode"...

Su Lu was too exhausted to even complain. He thanked the headmaster and then took his leave.

When he came out, he ran into Zhu Zihe again, and this time he was even more resentful, with a long face as if someone owed him eight hundred strings of cash, which left Su Lu completely confused.

It's actually quite simple. Zhu Zihe was also there to attend class, but Su Lu beat him to it again. As a result, he waited outside the door for half an hour. How could he not be furious?

"Uncle, could you let me avoid meeting him on different days?" he asked as soon as he entered.

"No way, I don't have that much free time," Zhu Liu shook his head decisively and laughed, "If you go to class with him, you won't have to wait, and it will save me the trouble too."

"No, how can a fine steed be kept in the same stable as a nag?" Zhu Zihe also shook his head resolutely.

"Aren't we all just eating grass and pooping? What's the difference?" Zhu Liu said with a faint smile. "Besides, only time will tell how strong a horse is..."

Zhu Zihe frowned. Wasn't his uncle implying that it was still uncertain whether he or Su Lu would go further?

"He'll never catch up with me, because I'll only get faster and faster!" How could the proud and arrogant Zhu tolerate his uncle's contempt?

"Okay." Zhu Liu nodded and said, "Bring the homework."

Zhu Zihe then presented his workbook. He had more homework, but Zhu Liu also asked him to write an essay titled "On the Love of Artemisia".

While Zhu Liu was checking homework, Zhu Zihe also saw Su Lu's essay "On the Love of Artemisia" on the table.

He couldn't help but snort. What kind of class is this, daring to write the same essays as me?

But I couldn't resist picking it up and glancing at it, and my expression gradually turned sour...
At this time, Zhu Liu also read through Zhu Zihe's "On the Love of Artemisia":
"...I love the wormwood for growing on hillsides without being filthy, for planting under eaves without being arrogant, for its leaves containing medicinal properties, for its stems containing spiritual fragrance, for it growing stronger in the scorching heat, and for enduring the cold frost without withering, for it not vying for the lushness of gardens, nor coveting the elegance of pavilions..."

Finally, I asked him, "Who do you think wrote it well?"

"..." Zhu Zihe was arrogant, but he wouldn't lie through his teeth. He lowered his head and remained silent, the result of which was self-evident.

"An article must first have a soul; only with a soul can it have roots. Your article has no soul, so naturally it has no roots. How can you compare to his?" Zhu Liu said earnestly.

"In your eyes, mugwort has no life; it's just a stick used to treat illnesses. You've never looked up to the mugwort hanging on the wall. How could you possibly write a good article?"

"Don't always put on airs, learn to appreciate others... Besides, you have nothing to be proud of," Zhu Liu said in a deep voice, the last sentence carrying a heavy weight.

Zhu Zihe's eyes were red from being scolded, and it was unclear whether he had listened to the advice.

~~
Su Lu had no idea that Zhu was crying again because of him.

He returned to the school, slung his book bag over his shoulder, and rushed home, eager to get back today!
Because Chun-ge'er is back.

"Big Brother!" Su Lu ran home in one breath and rushed up to the stilted house. Sure enough, he saw Su Man holding Jinbao standing in the courtyard, his handsome demeanor restored. He just wondered if his "I am the only one who can do this" spirit had returned.

"A gentleman's actions are neither hurried nor slow." When Chun Ge'er saw Su Lu running and covered in sweat, he frowned and scolded, "What kind of behavior is this, rushing around like this?!"

"Okay, okay." Su Lu quickly slowed down, thinking to himself, "They're back, they're all back... Looks like I was worrying for nothing."

"Third Brother. Big Brother brought you back a lot of books." Little Jinbao said in his childish voice, "They're all in Uncle's room, a whole box full."

"Big brother, you've gone to too much trouble. I love you to death." Su Lu immediately beamed with joy. Chun Ge'er is always like this, making you feel both pain and pleasure.

"Don't flatter yourself, it's not for you." Chun Ge'er gave him a disdainful look, coughed lightly and said, "Besides, I can't afford it."

"Oh, oh," Su Lu replied with a grin, not wanting to argue with him over words.

He rushed to his uncle's room and saw dozens of nearly new books and a thick stack of manuscripts neatly arranged on the table.

"These are the various collections of Cheng Mo's works that I bought during the past six months since I left, as well as the lecture notes and drafts from the Wenzhan Hall. You can look at them if you want, or put them back if you don't," Chun Ge'er said calmly as he followed his uncle into his room.

"Of course I want to see it! Not only do I want to see it, but I'll also have to ask you for advice, brother." Su Lu quickly said with a smile, "But doesn't brother need to see it?"

"There are still two whole years before the next course is offered." Chun Ge'er exhaled a long breath and said dejectedly, "It's no use looking now."

"Then I'll cherish it a bit, so that my brother can still use it later," Su Lu said with a smile.

"Hmm." Su Man nodded, suddenly feeling that the road ahead was endless, and she became even less willing to speak.

~~
That evening, his aunt cooked a feast to welcome her son back. She had originally planned to celebrate his third-place ranking in the county examination, but Chun-ge firmly refused.

During the meal, Auntie couldn't help but ask Chun-ge again, "Son, what are your plans for the future? Will you continue your studies, or... find something to do first?"

Even if it's her own son, the eldest aunt can't stand seeing him doing nothing.

Now Su Lu no longer felt that her aunt was targeting her...

Chun Ge'er then said sparingly, "There is no third way for a scholar."

"Cough cough cough..." Su Youcai couldn't help but cough a few times, feeling offended.

"Oh dear, Second Uncle, if you hadn't resigned a couple of days later, Chun-ge would have been the perfect person to take over your job!" Auntie said with a sigh of regret.

"Yes, yes, I miscalculated." Su Youcai replied guiltily, so as not to steer the conversation toward his resignation.

"Don't worry," Chun Ge'er said calmly. "I've already received invitations from several private schools, and even a community school, though it's a bit far away."

"Impressive!" Su Youcai exclaimed with envy. It seems that ranking third in the county examination is still a strong point; at least it's advantageous within the county.

But the eldest aunt kept saying, "You must live closer to home, otherwise your mother will miss you, and you'll be able to take care of her if she gets sick again."

"You unlucky woman, cursing your son again?!" The uncle was furious and glared at her.

"Pah, pah, look at my mouth!" Auntie quickly slapped her mouth and said with an embarrassed smile, "Besides, my mouth isn't blessed, how can I say whatever I want, right?"

"It's alright, Mother, your words always come true." Su Man said confidently, "Thank you for your kind words, we will definitely find a restaurant close to home."

"Haha, my son is back, you can't bully me anymore!" Auntie said to Uncle with a smug smile.

P.S. This is the first bonus chapter, and it's also to celebrate last month's Alliance Leader title. A little something from 2020, and this is also for my dear old readers.

(End of this chapter)