Half asleep, Liu Shangzhi listened to Gu Kaizhi reciting poetry all night and told A Jiao, who lay like a white lamb in his arms, "Gu Kaizhi has turned day and night upside down. Poor Zizhong-he probably won't be able to get up tomorrow." Yet when he rose early, he found Chen Caozhi radiant and full of energy, inviting him to climb Lion Mountain. Astonished and deeply impressed, he repeatedly exclaimed, "Zizhong is no ordinary man!"
Lu Qin came to attend that morning's lessons in phonology and Luoyang-style Chant. It was the latter that he valued; as for the Classic of Filial Piety and Zhuangzi, he believed the Lu Clan's own scholarly tradition was at least equal to Xu Zao's.
Chu Wenbin still did not come. Liu Shangzhi whispered to Chen Caozhi, "Zizhong, I'm afraid Chu Wenbin won't be coming anymore. He's frightened of Lu Qin. Heh, a petty fellow like that really is-really is-"
Unable to find an apt expression for the moment, Liu Shangzhi faltered. Chen Caozhi supplied, "He lifted a stone only to smash his own foot."
Liu Shangzhi laughed. "Exactly! A splendid analogy."
Chen Caozhi said, "I expect Chu Wenbin will come again. Those who harm others have perseverance; they won't give up easily."
Sure enough, Chu Wenbin came to the afternoon lesson on the Classic of Filial Piety, looking as though nothing had happened.
After lessons ended that afternoon, Chen Caozhi hurried to Peach Grove Cottage to watch Master Wei paint. Watching Master Wei paint was how he learned: how to wield the brush and ink, how to arrange a composition and decide what to include or leave out... Unless someone was a close disciple, a painter would not allow him to watch the entire process.
Master Wei's mastery of ink was truly supernatural. Simple