Film and Television Variety Show: The Jade Girl's Love Affair

"How about we set off in three days?"

"You are returning home in three days?"

Guo Jia looked up and smiled slightly.

"Naturally, we'll arrange things according to your schedule, Miss Tang. If you need a few more days to tidy up this courtyard, then what's wrong with me waiting a few more days?"

There wasn't much to tidy up, it was just a pity about the vegetables she had recently planted.

"Then let's set off in three days. I'll go to the mountains to gather some herbs during these three days, and you can arrange for your guards to pack the things you'll need for the trip."

For the next three days, Tang Yu was often away from home, and Guo Jia instructed his guards to do a small task.

"Master, you specifically instructed your subordinates to buy already dried paulownia wood, just for making a zither?"

"Or should I just light the fire for you?"

Guo Jia chuckled softly, then focused intently on cutting the paulownia wood in front of him with a saw.

“But the wound on your arm hasn’t healed yet, so why rush it? Making a zither is a time-consuming and lengthy process.”

"If you wish to embrace the bright moon, you should do it like carving jade, proceeding slowly and deliberately, and success will come naturally with time."

Wang Qi: "..."

I totally don't understand.

"The patriarch is saying some profound and mysterious things again."

Guo Jia remained silent. There were some things he hadn't understood before, but he understood them now.

If you have a goal, you must pursue it gradually.

When Tang Yu returned in the evening, Guo Jia's guards came to complain.

"Miss Tang, the wound on the master's arm has reopened and is bleeding profusely. We hope you can help treat it."

Isn't this wound almost healed?

Tang Yu, carrying a medicine box, approached Guo Jia with a puzzled look, only to find the other man calmly reading a book on bamboo slips.

"Didn't you say you were bleeding? You don't seem to be in any pain at all."

Guo Jia put down the bamboo slips, then rolled up the sleeve of his robe, revealing that the bandaged wound was bleeding slightly.

"It's just a slight pain, but I can bear it."

It's really crispy.

Tang Yu didn't ask what had happened for the moment. Instead, she quickly took out scissors, cut open the bandage, and began to disinfect and apply medicine again.

Fortunately, the wound was not severely torn. After applying the medicine to stop the bleeding, Tang Yu immediately bandaged it again.

Throughout the entire process, Guo Jia could see the person close to him in his arms just by looking down, and perhaps he could simply reach out with his other hand to pull the person in front of him into his embrace.

However, some things cannot be rushed.

After completing the task, Tang Yu took a step back, raised his head, and began to observe the person in front of him.

"Tell me, did you get injured while lifting heavy objects, or was your wound hit, or did you do something that strained your arm?"

Guo Jia pointed to a piece of paulownia wood not far away.

“Yesterday I instructed the guards to buy a piece of paulownia wood for making a zither. Today I spent too much time sawing it, and as a result, the wound accidentally reopened. It was my fault.”

Making a zither?

Tang Yu glanced at the half-finished product that the other party had just started working on, and then asked in a puzzled tone.

"You like playing the piano? Even so, I don't believe you don't have a well-made piano at home, so why the rush?"

"No, this is a gift I wanted to give you. I've been staying at your house for a while now, and although I've already paid for your consultation and medicine, I feel that this small amount is not enough to express my gratitude, considering that I'll be troubling you for a long time to come."

So I thought I'd give you a gift I made myself, but I never expected it would trouble you to re-bandage my wound.

Guo Jia's idea immediately made Tang Yu laugh.

"You're going to make a violin for me? Do I look like I can play the violin?"

"Perhaps it's a strange intuition, but I think the young lady must be good at music, so if I give her a guqin, it should be to cater to her tastes."

If I'm wrong, that's alright. As long as the young lady is interested in playing the piano, I can teach her.

Tang Yu was helpless against the person in front of her; he had indeed guessed correctly.

However, she actually prefers the guzheng and pipa. There's nothing wrong with the guqin, it's just that usually the person playing it is the one she's playing with.

Do you know how to make a zither?

"It turns out that the young lady prefers the guzheng. There is actually not much difference between making a guzheng and making a qin. I will definitely make a guzheng for the young lady myself in the future."

To obtain a musical instrument personally crafted by Guo Jia would surely be something worth collecting.

During the Han Dynasty, famous scholars and literati regarded playing the zither as a very elegant activity, and playing the zither was a way for them to cultivate their character.

Therefore, many famous figures of this era enjoyed making their own zithers.

"I quite like zithers, so how about we make one guqin and one guzheng?"

These words instantly filled Guo Jia's eyes with a gentle and warm smile.

"Of course, but at that time, I wonder if Jia will have the honor of hearing the lady play the zither?"

"Alright, but I have one condition: from now on, Mr. Guo must not strain his arms to do anything. Patients should listen to their doctors."

If patients like to make decisions on their own, the doctor might get so angry that they leave next time.

Guo Jia chuckled lightly, then dipped his finger in water and wrote two characters on the table.

“My courtesy name is Fengxiao. You may call me Fengxiao from now on.”

Tang Yu certainly knew that Guo Jia's courtesy name was Fengxiao. In fact, many years ago, she also used the name Fengxiao more often.

The next day, after breakfast, Tang Yu and Guo Jia's group packed their bags, intending to leave the courtyard.

Guo Jia and his entourage traveled by oxcart.

The gentry of this era preferred leisurely travel and disliked the fast, bumpy ride of a horse-drawn carriage.

Limited by transportation conditions, horse-drawn carriages would kick up dust as they ran, so people in this era would be covered in dust and dirt when they went out.

Since Tang Yu was going to travel with Guo Jia and his group, the other guards could only ride away slowly on horseback.

She still didn't want to abandon those two horses.

After two days of arduous travel on the official road, Tang Yu finally arrived in Yangdi.

As the seat of Yingchuan County, this place was originally densely populated, prosperous, with a strong academic atmosphere and numerous shops.

On ordinary days, this place is a popular spot for literary gatherings and literary discussions, where scholars would come to talk about poetry and philosophy, and to display their talents through calligraphy and painting.

Unfortunately, after Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power, Yangdi also became desolate, and there were hardly any people to be seen on the streets.

"Yingchuan is a place of constant warfare, and Yangdi will likely become increasingly desolate in the future. Where do you plan to live in the future?"

Even many members of the Yingchuan gentry seem to have fled, as staying in Yangdi city is no longer safe.

How about living in seclusion in the mountains?

Upon hearing Guo Jia's words, Tang Yu laughed.

"Living in seclusion in the mountains is not a good choice, as it is teeming with venomous snakes, mosquitoes, dampness, heat, and wild animals."

Therefore, the gentry of Yingchuan flocked to Jizhou, hoping to find a better future and a more comfortable and safe place to live.

But you insist on waiting a little longer. Is there no one in the world who can catch your eye?

Guo Jia shook his head, and then suddenly recited a line from the Book of Songs.

"What is there in Zhongnan Mountain? There are branches and plum trees. When a gentleman arrives, he is dressed in brocade and fox fur. His face is as red as cinnabar. He is indeed a lord..."

Tang Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled after hearing this.

"You should be able to wait."

Chapter 4 Guo Jia 4

After moving many books and necessities from his residence in Yangdi, Guo Jia took Tang Yu to the place where he planned to live in seclusion.

It was indeed in the mountains and forests, but it was different from what Tang Yu had imagined.

“I misunderstood you. Your seclusion in the mountains is not about living a life of hardship.”

Looking up, one sees that this land is surrounded by mountains, with peaks of various shapes and sizes all around, truly a place of beautiful scenery.

The land in front of us has been cultivated into farmland, and the crops are growing quite well.

In the middle of the farmland, there stands a house of moderate size.

In addition, the surrounding rivers and streams provide ample water resources, ensuring the basic survival needs of this place.

"Because this is not true seclusion. So-called hermits are merely seeking out a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and then trying their best to befriend famous people from all over the world, praising each other's talents and learning."

They talk big and spread their fame far and wide, hoping to be appreciated by a wise ruler someday and quickly be given important positions based on their past reputation.

The Han Dynasty was ruled by a group of aristocratic elites who praised and recommended each other.

When my father bought this land, he was hoping to use it to make connections with famous people and gradually spread his reputation.

Unfortunately, my father was a member of a collateral branch of the Guo family. Although he wanted to follow the same path, he could never integrate into that circle…

Guo Jia was indeed a member of a prominent family in Yingchuan, but he was no longer considered a direct descendant of the Guo clan.

For a member of a collateral branch of the family without the resources of the direct line, it is a very difficult thing to make a name for themselves in the officialdom.

By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the system of recommending candidates for official positions based on filial piety and integrity had completely failed.

The quota for recommending filial and incorruptible officials in each region has been monopolized by local powerful clans and gentry, making it difficult even for them to obtain such a quota.

In other words, the upward mobility channels for talented individuals in the Han Dynasty have been completely blocked, social classes can no longer be crossed, social resources have been monopolized by the middle-class families, and even the emperor cannot collect taxes.

Although historical records say that Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, was a foolish and incompetent ruler who sold official positions and was lustful.

But in reality, Liu Hong did fight back.