Chen Caozhi sat down at the painting table, with the Zhu brothers, Zhu Yingtai and Zhu Yingting, seated at either end, one to his left and one to his right. The fragrance of first-grade agarwood filled the air. Chen Caozhi picked up his brush, then set it down again, shaking his head with a smile. "With you two staring at me like this, I really don't know where to begin."
Zhu Yingtai gave a faint smile. "A galloping horse charging straight at you, a great wind toppling trees, yet your expression remains unchanged-that is what they call the bearing of a distinguished gentleman. We brothers are merely watching you paint from the sidelines, yet you're unsettled and unable to put brush to paper. Doesn't that suggest your cultivation of mind and temperament still needs some honing?"
Chen Caozhi asked with a smile, "Suppose one day you were walking along a road and a cart-pulling Luxi ox accidentally knocked you headfirst into a stream. When you struggled out of the water, dripping mud, would you still have the bearing of a distinguished gentleman?"
Zhu Yingtai fixed her long, narrow, clear eyes on Chen Caozhi and asked slowly, "Brother Zizhong, are you planning to drive an ox into me?"
"I wouldn't dare," Chen Caozhi replied with a smile. "It was merely a supposition."
Zhu Yingtai said, "To discuss things through suppositions is unbearably vulgar. I once heard that Lord Anshi of the Xie clan of Kuaiji went sailing with Sun Chuo, Sun Xinggong, and others. When the wind rose and the waves surged, everyone was frightened, but Lord Anshi continued chanting and whistling as calmly as ever. Since he had given no order to turn back, the boatman dared not return. The boat sailed on, and the wind and waves grew fiercer.