Top Scholar

Chapter 97 Beginning of Autumn
"The second line, 'The lotus breeze carries fragrance across the willow embankment,' is perfectly matched in tone and rhyme; its rhythm is as gentle as the lotus breeze." Su Youcai then analyzed each line in turn:
"The third line, 'The sun shines brightly over the stream,' is harmonious in tone and rhythm, and concludes neatly, echoing the coolness of summer, making the scene vivid and coherent, and immersing the reader in the moment."

"Not bad, not bad. This kind of delicate sentimentality is the level we should be at." Su Youcai nodded in satisfaction. He was already very pleased that his son could write lyrics to this extent; the imagery of the previous poem was truly terrifying. It felt like it was about to pierce the sky...

Su Lu also found it quite interesting. Indeed, one should learn poetry before learning lyrics. Learning the rules of lyrics and composing them is quite fun.

"Writing lyrics is quite interesting, isn't it?" Su Youcai said with a smile, "Try writing a longer 'Remembering the Prince' with the same title."

After reviewing the poem's title, Su Lu began to silently craft his words and phrases, and upon finishing, he said:

"A scroll of poetry and books, tea growing cold; a breeze passing by the steps, the fragrance of fallen lotus blossoms."

Bamboo shadows swirl through the window, casting long shadows in the sunlight.

Silence reigns, only the intermittent chirping of cicadas carries the clear sunlight.

"Excellent!" Su Youcai praised with delight, "To write lyrics like this on your first try shows that you have some talent."

“I don’t think so.” Su Lu shook his head, quite self-aware, and said, “I was able to write like this because of the teachings of my father, my teacher, and my headmaster. My father taught me the rules of poetry, my teacher taught me how to choose words and construct sentences, and my headmaster taught me the unity of imagery and spirit. I pieced together this picture according to your teachings. It’s all learned later. Where is there any talent to speak of?”

"So you think those great poets and lyricists were born with that knowledge?" Su Youcai laughed. "Being able to be taught and learn well is talent, at least enough for you in the Ming Dynasty."

"Yes," Su Lu nodded in agreement. His father's words made sense; after all, the imperial examinations didn't require writing lyrics, and his current level was certainly sufficient.

However, he also began to understand why his father was so obsessed with this; it really was addictive.

Writing lyrics that you're satisfied with can really trigger a mental orgasm...

~~
The sweltering heat stretched everything out, as if time itself had stood still. The incessant chirping of cicadas made the summer days seem exceptionally long.

On the last day of June, after teaching the entire Mencius, Mr. Zhang summarized the essence of what he had learned and, as usual, gave his students some earnest advice:
As Zhu Xi said, one should read the Four Books in a gradual manner: first read the Great Learning to establish a framework, then read the Analects to establish a foundation, and finally read Mencius to inspire one’s noble spirit—this inspiration is precisely what we scholars should cultivate!

Mencius said, "I am good at cultivating my vast and righteous spirit." This spirit is extremely vast and powerful. We must always nurture it with righteousness and not harm it with evil. It will then fill the world and take root deep in our hearts! When we always uphold "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness," and "wealth and honor cannot corrupt, poverty and hardship cannot sway, and power and force cannot subdue"... and when we stand firm on the right path at critical moments and do not bow to evil, this righteous spirit will naturally fill and grow in our hearts!

"Whether you become officials, teach, or live in obscurity in the world, whatever your circumstances, you must cultivate this noble spirit! This is the lifeblood passed down from our ancestors, the torch of wisdom from our forefathers—if someone upholds it, there is hope for humanity; if everyone adheres to it, the world will not fall into ruin!"

"Even if the utopian world that the sages longed for is hard to achieve, you should still remember this: no matter where you are, no matter how corrupt your surroundings are, you must hold fast to your noble spirit! Because this spirit is our most precious thing—there are things we desire more than life, and things we hate more than death!"

After saying this, he sighed deeply and said, "Perhaps we are powerless to turn the tide, but at least we cannot change ourselves. Because once we go along with the crowd, all our past actions will be worthless. And the world will lose a seed of light."

"So what should we do? It's simply a matter of 'When the state is well-governed, speak and act prudently; when the state is poorly governed, act prudently and speak modestly.' No matter what the circumstances, we must always keep our integrity in our hearts! Let us all strive together!"

"We will remember your teachings, Master!" the students replied in unison.

~~
On the other side, Erlangtan Community School.

With his role in "Journey to the West," Chris Lee (Chris Lee's character) won over a group of monkeys and finally gained a foothold in the industry.

After the two teaching assistants took their places, he followed Su Lu's suggestion and divided the club into three grades, ending the history of mixing all the different grades together.

He taught the upper grades, Su Hai taught the middle grades, and Cheng Wantang taught the lower grades. As for the tuition fees for the two teaching assistants, each clan ultimately contributed one portion…

The two clan leaders were initially reluctant to part with the money, but Su Dan and Cheng Wanzhou had already discussed it and agreed that the next day they would go to each other's homes to tell each other that their grandfathers had agreed. Upon hearing this, the two clan leaders were unwilling to let the other outdo them; they couldn't bear the humiliation!
So everyone contributed money...

Therefore, when it comes to competing, if guided properly, it can also have a positive effect.

The effects of grouping students into smaller classes were immediate. For one thing, the effective class time for students increased several times over, the learning pace accelerated dramatically, and there was far less free time for idle play. The learning atmosphere at the community school was completely transformed!

To celebrate the historic moment of the successful merger of the two schools, at the end of the month, Su Lu and his fellow students held the first "Sweet Water Chronicle Summer Party" in Erlangtan at the He Family Courtyard!
They pooled their money to buy melon and fruit candy for their little brothers, as well as 100 tubes of "Melon Sweet Summer" sponsored by Sweet Water Diary, as a reward for the kids' good behavior over the past ten days!
Why are there forty more bamboos? Because my little brothers have younger brothers and sisters!

Seeing their younger siblings looking at them with adoration as they drank the sweet water they had always longed for but couldn't afford, the children of Erlangtan felt incredibly proud. At that moment, all the hard work of the past ten days was worth it…

The children were very happy and said they would behave well from now on. Then... when will "The Monkey King" start?
As the older brother, he naturally kept his word. For this performance, Su Yang and his friends went to town to watch a shadow puppet show and even asked Xia Ge'er to make them a set of string puppets. Each puppet had flexible joints and distinct features; you could easily tell which was the Dragon King and which was Taibai Jinxing. Especially the Great Sage wielding his golden cudgel and wearing a phoenix-winged crown—he was absolutely majestic!
The orchestra was also replaced by a professional team from Erlangtan, the same team used for weddings, funerals, and the music composition ceremony in Xiasha. The expenses were naturally sponsored by my godmother…

With meticulous preparation, the audiovisual effects of this performance were greatly enhanced, and not only did the children love it, but the lively drumming also attracted adults who were enjoying the cool evening air.

The courtyard was full of people, from the Su family, the Cheng family, and others. They gathered together without fighting or arguing, all engrossed in enjoying the legendary story of the Monkey King!

Su Lu also spoke with extra enthusiasm, his clear and melodious voice resounding throughout the courtyard:

"...It turns out that the Great Sage spent forty-nine days refining in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, but instead of turning to ashes, he gained fiery eyes! With a loud crash, he kicked over the furnace and burst out, his body billowing with green smoke!"

"Great!" Adults and children cheered in unison, excitedly saying, "We knew the Great Sage wouldn't die!"

"'You old Jade Emperor! I, Sun Wukong, have arrived!' His angry shout shook the Southern Heavenly Gate. The monkey drew his golden cudgel and swung it like a windmill, beating the heavenly soldiers and generals until they cried for their fathers and mothers. The Four Heavenly Kings were beaten so badly that they dropped their weapons, the Nine Luminaries fled in terror, and even the Twenty-Eight Constellations hid in the clouds, not daring to show their faces!"

"Great! Great!" Adults and children alike were completely captivated, cheering incessantly! They couldn't spare a single word of comment beyond applauding.

When Su Lu recounted how Sun Wukong stormed the Lingxiao Palace, scaring the Jade Emperor so much that he hid under the table, the cheers were deafening. The children were thoroughly entertained, the adults felt incredibly relieved, and the atmosphere reached its peak!
~~
Cheng Xiucai's house was located on a high point in Erlangtan, not far from the He family compound.

He had already gone to bed, but the noise woke him up. He stormed out to the courtyard, only to find the He family compound, which should have been empty, brightly lit and bustling with activity!
"Hiss..." He gasped in fright and almost fell to the ground.

"Dad, what's wrong?!" Fortunately, Cheng Chengcheng heard the commotion and came out to support him in time.

"What's wrong with your sister's house? Is it haunted?" In his shock, Cheng Xiucai forgot all about the admonition of "Confucius did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits."

“Father, no.” Cheng Chengcheng knew the inside story and laughed, “It’s Wan Tang and the others who are putting on a monkey show for the children. A lot of adults who had nothing to do went over to listen.”

"Stop trying to bluff your way out of this," Cheng Xiucai snorted. "Wan Tang and his gang couldn't have caused such a commotion. Were they working together with those Su family lads?"

“Yes…” Cheng Chengcheng could no longer hide it.

"Sigh, we're all tangled up again, what a mess!" Scholar Cheng sighed wearily, utterly helpless. "Can't we just live our own lives?"

Fearing he would get angry again, Cheng Chengcheng quickly said, "Then we won't let Cheng Wantang and the others do it anymore."

“Sigh, forget it, adults shouldn’t meddle in children’s affairs,” Cheng Xiucai shook his head.

Suddenly a gentle breeze blew by, and the sweltering heat that had long enveloped Erlangtan instantly dissipated.

"Is it cool at night?" Cheng Xiucai felt refreshed, and the pent-up frustration in his chest lessened considerably.

"Indeed, today is the beginning of autumn," Cheng Chengcheng said with a smile. "The solar terms are really accurate."

"It's been too hot for too long, it's time for a change of pace," Cheng Xiucai murmured.

Thinking of all the things that had happened from last year to this year, he sighed resignedly and said, "Let things change, let things change. If it's going to rain, it'll rain; if it's going to remarry, it'll remarry. Nobody can stop it."

Cheng Chengcheng then understood his father's thoughts and said with a smile, "This is a good thing. Otherwise, people can stand it, but the crops will die from the heat."

“People can’t stand it either. They’re all staying home in this sweltering heat. How long has it been since your uncle came over?” Cheng Xiucai finally remembered his elder brother.

Cheng Chengcheng thought to himself, "Is it hot, Uncle? Isn't it because Cuicui married Su Youma that you're sulking and ignoring him?"

But Dad's words clearly indicated he wanted to ease tensions with Uncle. "How about we invite Uncle over for a couple of drinks tomorrow?"

"Hmm, have your wife cook a couple more of her signature dishes, and bring out a jar of ten-year-old aged wine." After giving the instructions, Cheng Xiucai added, "Consider it a celebration of the beginning of autumn."

Cheng Chengcheng couldn't help but complain, "Apologize if you want, but who's celebrating the beginning of autumn? Scholars are so stubborn!"
(End of this chapter)