At noon on the first day of the fifth month, Lai Fu and his sons Lai Gui and Lai Zhen each drove an ox cart to fetch Chen Caozhi, his nephew and niece, and the two maids Xiao Chan and Qingzhi back to Chen Family Cove. The West Tower Chen Clan had only one ox cart reserved for passengers; the carts Lai Gui and Lai Zhen drove had been borrowed from the East Tower and South Tower branches by Mother Chen Lady Li.
Ding Youwei held a child by each hand. Beautiful though her smile was, it could not conceal her desolation. Joy was brief and sorrow long; lovely moments slipped away so easily. The five warm days mother and children had spent together had passed in the blink of an eye. Although they could meet again in early September, the thought of the four months ahead-more than a hundred days and nights-made her heart ache.
Before the villa's side gate, two stewards bowed. "My lady, please see them no farther. Those were the master's instructions."
Afraid Ding Youwei would be too distressed, Chen Caozhi smiled. "Sister-in-law, just wait and see what presents Zongzhi and Run'er bring you next time."
Zongzhi and Run'er said together, "Mother, we'll be sure to study hard."
Ding Youwei crouched and gathered the two dear children against her chest, kissing them. Smiling through her tears, she said, "You two must behave and listen to Grandmother and Uncle Chou. No being picky about food, understand?" Then she lifted the children into the ox cart herself and straightened to address Chen Caozhi. "Little brother, I'll see you in September."
Chen Caozhi bowed with the utmost respect. "Farewell, Sister-in-law. Take good care of yourself."
The two maids, Xiao Chan and Qingzhi, also said with brimming eyes, "Farewell, my lady. Please take good care of yourself."
Xiao Chan added, "Don't worry, my lady. Once Qingzhi and I are there, we'll be sure to serve the old mistress well and take good care of Zongzhi and Run'er. You must let your heart be lighter too, my lady, and not torment yourself. When Zongzhi and Run'er come in September, just think how happy they'll be to see their mother rosy-cheeked and even more beautiful!"
Xiao Chan had a nimble tongue and knew how to speak. Ding Youwei could not help breaking into a smile, and anticipation greatly softened the sorrow of parting.
Chen Caozhi walked beside the ox cart for a long way. Just before the road turned, he looked back. Beneath the loquat tree that spread its canopy by the gate, his sister-in-law's slender figure in plain white was still craning toward them, gazing after them.
From the ox cart, Run'er suddenly asked in a tearful voice, "Uncle Chou, why does saying goodbye make me so sad? Aren't we going to see her again? But I'm still so sad. Why, Uncle Chou?"
The world was perilous and affection precious, so the ancients had attached particular weight to parting. Even a little girl of six knew its bitterness, yet Chen Caozhi could not tell Run'er why. Instead, he said, "Zongzhi, Run'er, let Uncle Chou teach you a poem to recite-"
And so, along the southbound road, young voices rose in recitation:
"In the courtyard stands a wondrous tree, its green leaves lush with blossoms.
I draw a branch down and pluck its flowers, to give to the one I long for.
Their fragrance fills my breast and sleeves, but the road is too long to deliver them.
What worth have such trifling things? Only the long parting moves my heart."
On their return to Chen Family Cove, the joy of Mother Chen Lady Li went without saying. Although Youwei could not return, with Xiao Chan and Qingzhi to help manage the household and care for her grandchildren, she could breathe much easier. More importantly, Chen Caozhi's sixth uncle, Chen Man, who had always coveted the West Tower branch's farmland, would surely be astonished to learn that the aristocratic Ding Clan had actually allowed two maids to return to Chen Family Cove. The West Tower Chen Clan had not fallen into decline; they had a fine son and fine grandchildren to uphold them.
Xiao Chan and Qingzhi had lived in Chen Family Cove for six years, so everything was familiar. They soon settled into the lives of the West Tower Chen Clan's three generations. Both felt that life was happier here: Mother Chen Lady Li was kindly, Zongzhi and Run'er were sweet and well-behaved, and the young master was so handsome and captivating that merely looking at him was a pleasure.
Chen Caozhi had gained a great deal from this trip to Qiantang. He had obtained Cai Yong's Keting Flute, the only one of its kind in the world, and a secret dongxiao manual copied by Huan Yi, the foremost musician in Jiangzuo. He could also use Huan Yi's third-rank calligraphy as a model to improve his regular-script rendition of the Declaration Memorial. From his sister-in-law Ding Youwei, he had copied two more books-Liu Shao's The Characters and Wang Bi's Dao De Jing Essentials-and borrowed five scrolls of Lu Zhi's Chapter-and-Verse Commentary on the Book of Documents.
Chen Caozhi now possessed the following books: the Mao Commentary on the Book of Songs, Collected Explanations of the Analects, Explanations of Doubts in the Analects, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Commentary on the Book of Changes, The Characters, Dao De Jing Essentials, Chapter-and-Verse Commentary on the Book of Documents, and half of the Zhuangzi. For the next several months, he should have no shortage of books to study. His only concern was that there would be no one to resolve any difficulties he encountered.
Moreover, word of Chen Caozhi's calligraphy contest with Chu Wenqian had spread throughout Qiantang County. Regular Mounted Attendant Quan Li had not publicized it, and Chu Wenqian himself certainly would not have spoken of it. Yet within a few short days, almost everyone in Qiantang County, from the great aristocratic houses down to poor families in humble lanes, knew that fifteen-year-old Chen Caozhi had defeated a son of the Chu family in calligraphy. That Chu son no longer had the face to seek the hand of Chen Caozhi's widowed sister-in-law. Chen Caozhi's reputation could be said to have taken wing. Those who wished him well said that Chen Su had a worthy successor and that Chen Caozhi could carry on his father's and elder brother's aspirations. The Qiantang Chu Clan, meanwhile, felt utterly disgraced. Their clan head, Chu Shenming, angrily reprimanded his nephew Chu Wenqian. At first, Chu Wenqian had borne Chen Caozhi no resentment, but after his uncle's fierce scolding, shame and anger naturally led him to blame Chen Caozhi. He began plotting a blow against the Qiantang Chen Clan to vent the spite in his heart...
Although Chen Caozhi had some lingering concerns, he continued doing what he needed to do. Every day he climbed the mountain, played the xiao, read, practiced calligraphy, and guided Zongzhi and Run'er in their studies. As for the game of Go, which he loved, he would have to set it aside for now. For one thing, he had no opponent; for another, Go consumed a great deal of time and energy. For now, he needed to give priority to Confucian learning and the study of metaphysics.
When he had traveled from place to place in his previous life, he had carried a sketching board with him and painted any exceptional scenery he encountered. He had studied oil painting, also self-taught, and most admired Wu Guanzhong's Western-style landscapes imbued with classical Chinese aesthetics. His own paintings naturally could not compare with Wu Guanzhong's, but they were still priced at four or five hundred yuan apiece in galleries. Painting landscapes and writing travel essays had sustained his life as a backpacker-
In this life, the beauty of West Lake and the grace of the surrounding mountains made Chen Caozhi's fingers itch. Early on the morning before the Dragon Boat Festival, he climbed Nine Luminaries Mountain with Lai De, bringing brushes, ink, and a homemade sketching board. He tried learning to paint ink-wash landscapes with a writing brush, but as soon as the brush touched the paper, the ink spread into a hazy mass. It did have something of the flavor of Zhang Daqian's broad splashed-ink landscapes.
Chen Caozhi shook his head with a smile and had Lai De put away the brushes, ink, and sketching board. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the serene, lovely lakeside mountains before sunrise and saw Precious Stone Mountain on West Lake's northern shore. Last time, Lai De had said an old immortal lived in seclusion there, and he had wanted to visit. But he had been weak then, and Precious Stone Mountain lay some twenty li away; he had feared his strength would fail him. Now, after nearly a month of exercise, he felt much lighter and stronger, and his love of seeking out curiosities and scenic wonders stirred eagerly once more. He called out, "Lai De, shall we go to Precious Stone Mountain today and visit that old immortal who takes elixirs?"
Ever loyal, Lai De naturally answered, "Yes."
The two raced down the mountain. Chen Caozhi went to tell his mother that he wished to visit Precious Stone Mountain in search of the Dao. Mother Chen Lady Li could also see that her son had become much healthier lately and did not stop him from making the excursion. She told both Lai Zhen and Lai De to accompany him and to take care on the road.
With pitiful looks, Zongzhi and Run'er begged Uncle Chou to let them go along and have fun too. Chen Caozhi said, "Uncle Chou will scout the way first. I'll take you next time, and Sister Xiao Chan and Sister Qingzhi will come too."
Lai Zhen drove the ox cart. Although Chen Caozhi was not riding in it now, there was no guarantee his legs would not ache on the return journey. Master and servants followed West Lake's southern shore, circling left around the vast lake with its misty waters. Five li from Precious Stone Mountain, the rugged mountain road became impassable for the ox cart. Chen Caozhi had Lai Zhen stay with it while he and Lai De continued onward.
Looking toward Precious Stone Mountain, they saw its reddish-brown rocks gleaming. Countless little red stones glittered within the rock, especially brilliant in the midday sunlight, as though innumerable rubies were sparkling. This was how Precious Stone Mountain had acquired its name.
Lai De said, "Young master, I've heard the old immortal isn't on Precious Stone Mountain itself, but on the ridge to its west."
They skirted the left side of Precious Stone Mountain and, sure enough, saw a ridge sitting quietly before them. It was not high, no more than a hundred zhang, but secluded and beautiful. Amid the old pines and ancient trees halfway up, they could faintly make out a Daoist retreat.
Chen Caozhi and Lai De climbed the steps along a narrow mountain path. Trees interlaced overhead like a canopy on either side, and their deep, cool shade dispelled all the heat of the blazing midday sun.
After several bends in the mountain path, they saw three bays of the Daoist retreat half-hidden among luxuriant trees. A boy with his hair hanging loose was dozing on a stone stool before the courtyard. Awakened by Chen Caozhi and his servant, he immediately said, "My master is away. Visitors from the secular world, please leave."
Chen Caozhi said, "May I ask your honored master's Daoist name?"
Seeing Chen Caozhi's clear, handsome features, and that he was only a few years older than himself, the boy took an immediate liking to him. "My master's Daoist name is Baopuzi," he answered.
Chen Caozhi froze. Baopuzi? Baopuzi was Ge Hong, the famous Eastern Jin Daoist, skilled in medicine and alchemy.
Chen Caozhi looked around and suddenly realized that the ridge where he stood was Ge Ridge. In his later years, Ge Hong had lived here in seclusion, refining elixirs and writing books. His great fifty-scroll work, the Baopuzi, had been written here.
Chen Caozhi steadied himself and said to the boy, "I've come from Chen Family Cove out of admiration for your honored master's reputation. Would you please announce me?"
The boy shook his head. "I'm not lying to you. My master really isn't here. He went to gather medicinal herbs on that mountain over there."
Chen Caozhi said, "Then I'll wait here for your honored master to return."
The boy did not think to invite Chen Caozhi inside the retreat to sit, but merely kept him company beneath a pine. Lai De peered inside. A Great Han sat beneath the covered walkway, burly in build, but he seemed to be deaf, paying no attention to anything outside.
They waited nearly four hours, but Ge Hong did not return, and the sun was already sinking westward.
Feeling somewhat apologetic, the boy said, "You should go home for now. My master may not return today. He sometimes visits friends on the other side of the mountain while he's out."
Afraid his mother would worry, Chen Caozhi could only rise to leave. After taking a few steps down the mountain, he turned back and borrowed paper and a brush from the Daoist boy. In graceful, upright running-regular script, he wrote twenty characters:
"Beneath the pine I asked the boy; he said his master had gone to gather herbs. Somewhere on this mountain, deep in the clouds-he knew not where."
Sorry, this update is late. This humble Daoist has been writing right up until now.
Before you continue