Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 18 No Response

Just three acts!

Just a few hundred words!
The film vividly depicts the vicissitudes of life of the two teenagers, from their first meeting in childhood to their reunion in adulthood and then to their farewell in middle age.

Lu Beigu's writing skills are so strong that they are simply breathtaking!

The five words "Ten Years of Tianhe Water" on the paper were twisted by Ji Yun's thumb, just like the promise in the story that was crushed by fate.

"The young man who gave me the song back then is now brewing wine with blood when the city is broken."

Zhou Mingyuan even lost his composure for a moment.

He had been reading the mainstream "Wenxuan" since he was young. How could he have seen such texts that wrote about the blood and tears of the country and the family in the language of the common people?

On the day the city was broken, those who were once high and mighty and judging the fate of others were in a panic like headless flies, not knowing where to go.

A person who has always been despised and judged at the bottom of society, yet he has shown a courage that is totally disproportionate to the circumstances he has suffered.

The line describing the enemy troops outside the city, "It's hard to tell the noble from the humble under their helmets," takes this sense of irony to the extreme.

But in this crude story, as simple as a pottery jar, there is a sharp edge that makes his back chill. The posture of the one-eyed soldier picking up the wine with the tip of the sword is clearly asking him whether there is any mention of common people in his beautiful articles?
A drop of sweat fell from Zhou Mingyuan's forehead and splashed on the floor tiles.

At this moment, the banquet was first silent, and then cheers were heard.

"What a saying, 'A cup of muddy wine, and home a thousand miles away!'"

But the old man in brocade robe slammed the wine cup heavily on the table, and the wine in the cup splashed onto half of his sleeve.

"This line was originally written by Fan Zhongyan while defending the border. Speaking of it, it's a hundred times more powerful than those sour Confucian scholars' arias about the wind and the moon!"

Someone suddenly took the lead in clapping their hands and singing: "The scenery in the frontier is different in autumn——"

Surprisingly, half of the guests joined in the singing. For a moment, the desolate tune of "Fisherman's Pride" startled the sparrows outside the window and they flew away.

Wait until the song is over.

Ji Yun's Adam's apple rolled. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before turning to the last page.

"I was greedy for life, but luckily I was able to survive.

I followed others across the river, but the Jin cavalry still pursued me, and I was in a panic all day long, like a fish that had escaped a net.

When you are walking on a road full of people of wealth and status, who will care about the petty officials?
However, not long after the enemy retreated, he got a new job - Shangguan heard that I knew the art of brewing, so he put me in charge of the newly established Quyuan.

Within two years of living in Lin'an, the falling snow was all tinged with the scent of rouge and powder.

"I didn't like drinking in the past."

'How is it now? '

The poor scholar sitting opposite me picked up a pen and asked, "This gentleman is usually taciturn, but he likes to talk about other people's past."

I said: "I can't sleep without drinking."

The small boat drifted with the waves. I was drunk and holding the side of the boat, wanting to vomit, when suddenly I saw the Milky Way in the water, and the month of the fifth year of Zhenghe.

I vaguely heard the sound of ice melting in the Bian River and the tinkling of bronze paddles.

In the end, no one responded. "

The echoes of several subtle things and the clever shift in perspective between the protagonist and the author of the preface make the artistic conception of "Tianhe Water" continue to echo.

So much so that in the end, when the drunk protagonist in the article saw the Milky Way in the water again and the same moon as in the fifth year of Zhenghe, and seemed to hear the sound of ice melting in the Bian River and the tinkling of bronze drums, that sense of fate reached its peak.

The new position that the protagonist of the story unexpectedly obtained, and the line "In Lin'an for only two years, the flying snow was all stained with the scent of rouge and powder", which is similar to "A merchant woman knows nothing of the sorrow of losing her country", turned Du Fu's five words "The country is destroyed, but the mountains and rivers remain" into a dull pain that lasted for decades in the novel when other stories were still being told in a straightforward manner!
The last sentence, "No one will respond in the end," pierces through it all!
“No one responded.”

Zhou Mingyuan muttered to himself with a pale face.

I had assumed this was just an ordinary novel flaunting its literary flair, but who could have imagined that behind its words lay such a thrilling story of national upheaval? Furthermore, although the subject was about wine, the protagonist was clearly mocking these drunken dandies!

Those who are greedy for life will live, and those who are eager to die will die, but those who live may not necessarily live, and those who die may not necessarily die.

This kind of work can only be described in four words.

That's "shocking"!
The flower hall was filled with the aroma of agarwood, but the smoke from the Boshan furnace seemed to have solidified.

Lu Beigu put down the empty wine cup, the warmth still remaining in his hand.

He raised his head and looked around, only to see that all the guests had different expressions - some were covering their faces and wiping away tears, some were in a daze, and some, like Zhou Mingyuan, had pale faces.

"This article," said Mr. Zhou, his throat rolling, after a long pause, "is indeed the best."

Before he finished speaking, the old man in brocade robe in the inner circle stood up tremblingly. The fish bag on the old man's waist swayed slightly with his movements, emitting tiny light in the sunlight.

"I have been proofreading books in the library for thirty years, and I have never seen such a wonderful article."

The old man pointed at the rice paper on the table. "These three characters 'Tianhe Water', at first glance, seem to be about wine, but upon closer inspection, they are a metaphor for life. The frozen Bianhe River is wine, the blood on the blade is also wine. It conveys the lament of the rise and fall of a nation and family, and the personal anguish of the characters. Compared to Du Fu's 'The country is ruined, but the mountains and rivers remain,' it adds another degree of heartache!"

Father Ji clapped his hands and sighed, "My son's previous piece, 'The Story of the Drunken Goblin,' was just a show of strength. This piece is like aged wine, refreshing at first, but with a strong aftertaste that rushes straight to the top of your head."

He turned to Lu Beigu and said, "Mr. Lu, would you be willing to hand this article over to Ji's Bookstore for printing? As agreed before, it would cost 50 strings of cash."

There was a sudden gasp in the flower hall.

Seeing Lu Beigu's indifferent expression, before Ji's father could react, Ji Yun interrupted, "It would be a shame not to print such a wonderful article to warn the world. My Ji family is not insulting you with money, but only for this article. I sincerely hope that you will agree."

After saying this, Ji Yun bowed deeply to the ground.

Seeing this, Lu Beigu's expression relaxed a little.

It’s not that he was deliberately indifferent, but he had just devoted his body and soul to the story he had written and had been unable to completely extricate himself, which made him feel sad.

Now that this story has awakened everyone from their extravagant enjoyment, even if it is only temporary, it can be considered that my "shout" has had an effect.

It would be great if we could take this opportunity to publish and print this article so that more people can see it and it can influence more people.

Then, Lu Beigu nodded slightly and said, "It's just that this article is not yet finished. 'Floating Life in Jiangzuo' is planned to have twelve chapters, and what I have written today are just the preface and the first chapter."

"It doesn't matter!"

Father Ji quickly said, "Except for the first chapter, the subsequent ones can be settled according to the actual amount after the manuscript is completed. If the other chapters are of this level, Ji's Bookstore can open a series of books just for you."

This statement caused an uproar among the crowd.

To publish a special series of books means to classify and publish the works of a person separately, which is only available to contemporary masters.

Seeing this, Mr. Zhou quickly interjected, "Since Mr. Lu has won first place, according to our previous agreement, this She inkstone should be the prize."

After hearing this, Zhou Mingyuan on the other side hurriedly brought the inkstone himself.

But Lu Beigu's eyes were still fixed on the remaining wine on the table.

The cup of "Fengqu Fajiu" reflected the sunlight coming through the window lattice. A few specks of gold were found in the amber liquor. It turned out that before anyone knew it, the afternoon sun had gradually set in the west.

Afterwards, Lu Beigu did not take the inkstone, but picked up the wine glass.

"Fan Wencheng once said: A gentleman would rather die with a voice than live in silence."

"I am so full of energy today that I wrote this article. This glass of wine is a toast to Tianheshui and to all of you."

After saying that, Lu Beigu raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

(End of this chapter)