The seventeen-year-old before them had already become a household name in Jiankang for his many talents and pure filial devotion. Seeing him today, though he wore coarse hemp clothes and his hair hung over his shoulders like a child's, his tall, straight figure, long black hair, and gentle, clear smile delighted the eye at first sight. Moreover, Lingyin Temple lay some twenty li from Jade Emperor Mountain, yet Chen Caozhi showed no weariness after walking there and back. Wang Shao and Jia Bizhi could not help marveling inwardly.
Wang Shao was nearly forty, with a fair face, a sparse beard, and handsome, elegant features; Jia Bizhi was not yet thirty, with clear-cut brows and eyes and a graceful bearing. Both were eminent gentlemen of the gentry whose deportment ranked among the finest in Jiankang.
Wang Shao said, "To see Qiantang's mountains and waters today and meet its distinguished people-is that not a delight? We have already witnessed Chen Caozhi of Qiantang's bearing, calligraphy, and painting. Your reputation is indeed well deserved. I wonder how dazzling your pure conversation, music, and Go might be?"
Chen Caozhi smiled. "Please forgive me, Neishi Wang, Registrar Jia. During my mourning, I dare not play Go or engage in pure conversation. As for music, I play several pieces on the recorder before my mother's grave every morning and evening. If my two honored guests do not disdain them, you are welcome to listen."
Wang Shao and Jia Bizhi both said, "We would gladly hear your refined music."
Chen Caozhi washed his face and hands, then took out the Keting Flute and walked slowly to his mother's grave. Standing between two cypresses, he played "Green Lotus Melody" and "Remembering an Old Friend" beneath the deepening night. These were two pieces he played every day, because his