"Can I come in?"
Zhu Ping'an's honest smile at the door was extremely glaring in the eyes of the constipated shop assistant.
He never expected that this poor country boy actually knew Du Fu's "The Guest Arrives", and he regretted that he had given him such a simple couplet. No matter how he looked at it, the poor country boy's level was just that of the nonsense and shitty "Sleep on the hell up and have fun", and he took advantage of the opportunity. What a mistake!
As for the people in the lobby of the passenger station, they were not surprised at all at Zhu Ping'an's couplet. The couplet this shop assistant came up with was more like a recitation of ancient poetry than a couplet. It was not difficult at all.
It's normal for a poor country boy to match a couplet proposed by an illiterate shop assistant. The fighting power of these two people is only 50%.
Therefore, the people in the lobby who were concentrating their attention just laughed it off.
"Come in, come in. If you don't mind the trouble, just come in. You have to come out later anyway."
The shop assistant looked at Zhu Ping'an with disdain, thinking that Zhu Ping'an was lucky to come up with the couplet he had written. He might have heard this poem from some poor scholar in the countryside. Gold will eventually shine, but a piece of soil is still a piece of soil. This time it was just a fluke for this poor country boy. When he enters the lobby later, he will definitely come out in disgrace. Those well-read scholars and other bigwigs can't come up with the couplet. It's strange that a poor country boy like you can come up with it. The sun doesn't rise in the west!
"Please help me lead the horse to the backyard." Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly and handed the reins of the Shamatte black horse to the shop assistant.
"You'd better tie it outside the door. You have to leave later anyway, so it's better to avoid trouble." The shop assistant rolled his eyes and stood there motionless.
Zhu Ping'an narrowed his eyes, glanced at the shop assistant, smiled faintly, turned around and tied the horse to a conspicuous flagpole outside the inn.
"Hey, where did you tie it?" the shop assistant said dissatisfiedly when he saw this.
"I have to untie it later anyway." Zhu Ping'an smiled faintly and walked straight into the inn.
That's right. Anyway, I'll have to untie it later, so you know what's wrong with me! Although it's an eyesore to tie it here, it's only for a while, so forget it over there. The shop assistant thought about it and ignored the Shamatte black horse tied to the flagpole.
Zhu Ping'an walked into the inn. The decoration outside the inn was very prosperous, and the decoration inside was poetic and picturesque. The lobby of the inn was very spacious. The lobby was filled with winter-resistant green plants of all seasons, lush trees, and fresh flowers. In the middle was a miniature rockery, and a stream of clear water meandered down through the stone crevices, like a waterfall. The tables and chairs in the lobby echoed the rockery and green plants, and were arranged in an orderly and natural manner. The stairs between the lobby and the upper floor were made of white stone railings, which embraced the staircase edge, undulating like a stone bridge, and with animal faces spitting out.
It is both poetic and picturesque, and elegant in style.
This kind of inn would have been at least a five-star in ancient times. It was located in the imperial city under the feet of the emperor. Staying here for a day would cost at least one tael of silver. Add in three meals a day, and I guess it would cost at least two taels of silver a day. Zhu Ping'an smacked his lips slightly.
There were about fifty or sixty people in the lobby, all of them were dressed very elegantly, some were well-mannered and some were very dignified. At first glance, they were talented people who were well-read in the poetry and books of sages.
The clothes Zhu Ping'an was wearing had turned white from being washed so much. There were also two holes in them, which made him look very out of place when he walked into the lobby.
"Hey, what's your name? Let me register it."
The innkeeper followed Zhu Pingan into the lobby and called out behind him. In fact, he didn't want to register this person who was destined to be a bystander, but the boss had a rule that everyone who came to write couplets had to be registered. The innkeeper didn't dare to violate the boss's rule, so he had to call out to Zhu Pingan from behind.
"My name is Ren Di. Ren means benevolence and righteousness, Di means Rong Di."
Zhu Ping'an stopped and looked at the impatient shop assistant behind him. He slightly raised the corners of his lips and revealed a simple smile.
"Ren Di, what a rustic name." The shop assistant muttered and turned to go to the counter to register.
Most people in the lobby probably had a similar feeling about the name Zhu Ping'an said, but some people heard something from Zhu Ping'an's voice. They looked at the shop assistant registering the names and let out a low laugh.
"Haha, Wensheng, I bet this kid's name is not Rendi." A well-dressed young man pushed the boy named Wensheng next to him and said with a smile.
"Why?"
Vincent asked casually. He was still thinking about the couplet he hadn't come up with, and didn't pay attention to what had just happened.
"This boy looks honest, but he is actually quite naughty." The well-dressed young man couldn't help but replied with a smile.
Wensheng, who was thinking about the couplet, looked at his partner in confusion when he heard this.
"Ren Di, haha, it's more like the person is low, he was just mocking the shop assistant for looking down on others. The shop assistant was stupid enough to actually register, hahahaha, it really made me laugh to death..." The well-dressed young man held his stomach and laughed.
A dog's eyes look down on people. The shop assistant's dog eyes look down on Ren Di. Haha, it seems that this young man is not simple and interesting.
The young man named Wensheng turned his gaze to the young man in the lobby who was dressed simply and looked honest, and pursed his lips slightly, showing great interest.
Many people in the lobby also heard Zhu Ping'an's voice-over and couldn't help laughing.
The shop assistant who was registering heard the laughter in the lobby and looked around in confusion, thinking that everyone was laughing at the name of Zhu Ping'an who was standing in the lobby. "Ren Di, such a rustic name," he lowered his head and started registering seriously.
However, despite their laughter, most people in the hall still had the same opinion of Zhu Ping'an as before. This young man was just a poor boy from the country, who was just a little clever. There were also smart children in the country, who could pull weeds in the fields at the age of three and herd sheep at the age of five. They were smarter and more active, but that was all. There was no great development.
As for Zhu Ping'an's hanging of six couplets in the lobby, they thought it was just a show of strength. We couldn't even come up with a couplet, so how could he come up with one? Don't be ridiculous. He just pretended to do it so that he wouldn't be embarrassed when he walked out later.
No matter what everyone in the inn thought, after Zhu Ping'an walked into the inn lobby, he looked up at the couplets hanging in the lobby.
The couplets were written with cinnabar on silk nearly two feet wide, hanging from the third floor to the first floor, in vertical running script, with the strokes broken but the meaning connected, like flowing clouds and running water.
The first couplet has only seven characters, which seems simple, but a closer look reveals a hidden meaning:
"On the mountain of Jingquan, the spring is quiet" (To be continued.)
ps: I have some free time at work today, so I will write one more chapter. I would like to express my special thanks to the moderator of the book review section ♂Paradise on Fire. He is like Xiao He to me, allowing me to devote myself to my creation and sleep without worries. Thank you very much.