In the next few days, Zhou Shaojin went to the house near Chaoyang Gate every day to learn mounting from Cheng Chi.
Unlike the ignorant playfulness when they didn't know each other's feelings before, and the shyness when they fell in love with each other, she was much more natural in front of him. She would make harmless jokes, and look at him affectionately. She also became more cheerful and generous, like a green bud that slightly bloomed into bright petals, with bright colors and charming postures.
Cheng Chi couldn't help but feel secretly relieved.
Fortunately, I met Shao Jin early, otherwise in a few years, I am afraid that he would face more difficulties in trying to keep her under his wing.
Cheng Chi naturally didn’t know that Zhou Shaojin, who had not met him in his previous life, would have died early.
He cared for Zhou Shaojin carefully, as if he were caring for a delicate flower, with his heart filled with tenderness and sweetness.
However, Zhou Shaojin gradually became really interested in mounting.
If I liked mounting before because I could do it with Cheng Chi, now I just really find it interesting.
Large paintings need to be hung on a scroll, while small paintings need to be carved and inlaid; paintings with inscriptions need to be bordered, while those without inscriptions need to be cut off; the scrolls are made of agarwood, sandalwood, and fir; the materials are catalpa brocade, pavilion brocade, and purple camel flower brocade; the hangers are made of ivory horn, rhino horn, and ox horn... There are requirements for scrolls, mounting, and the hangers for scrolls. Even the boxes for scrolls are divided into fir boxes and tree wood boxes... Just like her embroidery and making clothes, there are all kinds of combinations and all kinds of requirements. Zhou Shaojin felt like she had fallen into a kaleidoscope and found it very interesting.
She also brought seven or eight ox horn buttons to Li, saying, "... Uncle Chi polished them by himself when he had nothing to do. He said they were left over from polishing sticks." She didn't need to say that she had seen Cheng Chi now. As long as she thought of him, she would feel warm in her heart. She couldn't help but praise, "I didn't know Uncle Chi could do these. And I remember that when Uncle Chi lived in Xiaoshan Congguiyuan, he made a zither by himself..." Thinking of this, she found that she hadn't had time to ask Cheng Chi how the zither was doing. She smiled shyly and said, "Uncle Chi has a lot of good things. He has been carving seals these days. He said he was going to take them to Baoding Prefecture when you go back. The one for your father is a piece of top-quality chicken blood stone he got in his early years. The carp on it was also carved by Uncle Chi himself. He did it all by himself, without any fake work."
That day, when Uncle Chi was telling her how to identify the various materials of the signboards, he mentioned that some scrolls would be inlaid with gems. Then the topic turned to various rocks. She inadvertently learned that her father had personally carved a bloodstone seal with the words "Xi Yan" on it for her. Uncle Chi decided to carve a seal for her father with the words "The Best is Like Water" on it.
The fable of the carp leaping over the dragon gate is to wish his father a smooth career and further advancement. The four characters "上善若水" (the highest good is like water) taken from the Tao Te Ching include the responsibilities of self-cultivation and doing things, which means that one should not forget the foundation of one's life when becoming an official.
Li didn't read much, so she didn't know the meaning of "the highest good is like water", but she knew the meaning of "the carp leaping over the gate". Moreover, although it was common for officials to give each other seals, the seal buttons were either uncarved and kept in their original state, or they were made by masters of carving. Cheng Chi did everything himself, even knowing how to do the work of a craftsman, which was very rare, and it also showed that he was a great carver. In addition, Cheng Chi took care of Li in every way during her visit to Beijing, and she had a very good impression of Cheng Chi. She unconsciously praised Cheng Chi a little, and this matter was worth praising, so she couldn't help but sigh, "That's good! You should remember to thank Master Chi Si on behalf of the master." She couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder Master Chi Si passed the imperial examination at such a young age, he is really capable! He knows everything!"
There is no direct relationship between passing the imperial examination and sculpture.
But the two people who spoke were on Cheng Chi's side, so they didn't think there was anything wrong with what they said.
Zhou Shaojin laughed and said, "Uncle Chi has a lot of interesting things! There is an old jade carved flower peach water pot, one peach is big and the other is small. If you pour water into the big peach, it will drip into the small peach with a "drip, drip, drip" sound. It takes exactly a quarter of an hour for the dripping to be finished. Uncle Chi said that this was what he used when he was a child. It took a quarter of an hour to write a big character, and when the water was finished, the character would be finished. If you pour water into the small peach, it will drip into the big peach, but it will take three quarters of an hour - when the water is finished, you have to finish writing a page of small characters... There is also a pair of paperweights, I don't know what material they are made of, they look black, and if it's cloudy, they turn dark green, and you can faintly see patterns inside, like rolling dark clouds. Uncle Chi said that it was something from his ancestors, given to him by his grandfather, and he has been using it all the time. He also told me that if this paperweight comes into contact with water, the whole basin will look like it has been dripped with ink. I even tried it on purpose, and found that the water in the basin really turned black when the paperweight was placed in it, but when it was taken out, the clear water was still clear water, and the paperweight was still a paperweight... "
"There is such a thing?" Li was also surprised and couldn't help but sigh, "The fourth master is indeed a son of a noble family. Others may spend their entire lives trying to get nothing, but he can easily come up with one."
Zhou Shaojin nodded, looking as if he had entered a treasure mountain.
She will be coming of age at the end of the year. Seeing that she suddenly became more and more beautiful like a jewel out of a box, and had a graceful demeanor like a flower brushing against a willow, Li felt a little worried in her heart, thinking whether she should persuade Zhou Shaojin to go to Chaoyang Gate less often in the future, but now seeing her little face shining and full of joy, she felt that she was too worried... During this hesitation, Zhou Shaojin took out a two-finger-wide peach wood plaque and handed it to her, saying, "This is what I bought from Uncle Chi. It wishes you peace and safety every year. Let you wear it! Qingfeng said that Uncle Chi asked a master to bless you with safety and success when he went to Mount Wutai that year!"
Li saw that the plaque was carved with a treasure vase with a willow branch inserted in the vase. A drop of nectar was hanging on the tip of the willow, about to fall but not yet. The carving was so lifelike that one would wish the nectar would fall and try to catch it with their hands. It was obvious at first glance that it was not an ordinary thing.
"How can this be possible!" She hurriedly pushed it to Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "Uncle Chi also knows about this. He also said that I made a good choice. He said that Youjin is young, and wearing gold and silver is too conspicuous. It is easy for thieves to stare at her when she walks outside. It is better to wear this peach wood peace amulet. People who don't know her background and know what is good and bad will think carefully before they want to neglect her..."
These words really touched Li's heart.
Because she was born into a merchant family, she felt guilty about marrying Zhou Zhen, who was born into a scholar family. She was afraid of being looked down upon by Zhou Zhen's colleagues and wives of the same department, and she dared not spend the large dowry indiscriminately. Now that she had this peace amulet, her daughter could walk with her head held high.
Li did not refuse and accepted the peace card. She could not help but say, "Master Chi Si is such a good man. I wonder whose daughter is lucky enough to marry him!"
Zhou Shaojin tried hard not to laugh out loud.
Li had said something like this before, but she was talking about "Master Chi Si is such a good person, why hasn't he gotten married?"...
Thinking about this, Zhou Shaojin's cheeks flushed slightly.
Uncle Chi... hugged her from behind, kissed her neck and whispered in her ear... something like, I will try my best to please my father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and win her heart as soon as possible... She felt numb and almost collapsed in his arms...
It’s so annoying!
Sometimes he is serious, sometimes he is crazy. He is no longer as calm and composed as before. It's a pity that everyone still praises him!
She murmured silently, but her heart felt as sweet as if honey was bubbling out, and even the corners of her eyes and eyebrows became gentle as if water was about to overflow.
Li was shocked by what she saw.
But even though she was married, she had never experienced such emotions. Although she was secretly surprised and felt uneasy, she didn't know how to deal with it.
Suspicious, Uncle Li asked for a meeting.
She had no choice but to let Zhou Shaojin go back to her room and went to the flower hall to meet Uncle Li.
Uncle Li walked back and forth in the flower hall, rubbing his hands, unable to hide his excitement.
Seeing his sister coming in, he hurried forward and said, "I sent a letter to father and told him about the fourth master of the Cheng family's introduction for me. Father meant that the hundred-day gift for the official brother of my eldest aunt's family should be doubled... It's not that I don't want to spend the money, but I'm afraid that my good intentions will lead to bad results and suppress the gifts of the uncles of the Cheng family. So I came here to ask you, what do you think about this matter?"
Li didn't know what to do.
She showed her brother the peach wood peace amulet that Zhou Shaojin had given her, and told him what had happened.
Uncle Li smiled bitterly and said, "Where can I get something like this?"
Li said, "Then let's just follow the previous gift list to send the hundred-day gift. There are still many days to come. If you want to repay the Cheng family, there will be plenty of opportunities."
Uncle Li thought about it and agreed readily. He looked at the peace card for a long time, praised it for a long time, and talked about his future plans: "... also buy a house here, so that when you come to Beijing to stay for a while or when your eldest nephews come to Beijing to study, you will have someone to take care of you."
Li knew that several of her nephews were sent to study by their father, but she was not sure whether her nephews could be taken care of by the Zhou or Cheng family.
But it’s a good idea to buy a house here, it won’t be a loss after all.
She agreed vaguely, and on the day of Guan Ge's hundred-day ceremony, she dressed up carefully and went to Shuangyu Hutong with Zhou Shaojin, Zhou Youjin and Uncle Li.
The Liao family in Zhenjia, the Fang family in Shucheng, the Cheng family in Jiuru Lane... Uncle Li was not good enough to stand among these in-laws. Fortunately, Cheng Chi greeted him, and everyone looked at him with a subtle difference.
Uncle Li was depressed and even more grateful to Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi was pulled aside by the second old master of the Liao family in Beijing, who whispered, "I heard that Jiuru Lane is going to split up. Is that true?"
It was impossible to conceal this matter, but Cheng Chi still said, "You should ask my eldest brother. I don't care about these things."
The second old master of the Liao family quickly stated his position: "I think it's not a bad idea to split the clan, but it's better not to make any jokes. If there is anything you need my help with, just tell me."
Cheng Chi responded with a smile, not taking his words to heart at all.
The Liao family is not qualified to say such things.
※
Sisters, extra update for the Dragon Boat Festival.
The update will be around 5pm!
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)