The body of the stone tablet is black, the engraved characters are gray, the surface is very flat, but not smooth, and some traces of wind and rain erosion are visible to the naked eye on the stone.
The text on the stele is engraved in regular script, and at the top is a elegy:
"Rivers converge and flow wider, mountains are built of earth and are high. Actions call for diligence, work is dedicated and sincere. The elegant demeanor is cherished and the virtuous example is lingering in our hearts."
There was a blank space below, followed by the sixteen names, all of which were surnamed Xiao. Eight of them had only given names, while the other eight also had pen names. The year of death of the owner of the name was engraved on the lower left side of each name:
Xiao Yantang died in the second year of Chunxi.
Xiao Jiliu died in the tenth year of Jiading.
…
Xiao Yingquan, also known by his courtesy name Jingu, died in the seventh year of Yongle.
Xiao Yuhong died in the 24th year of Jiajing.
…
Xiao Tingdi, whose courtesy name was Ziqing, died in the 50th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign.
Xiao Fuchi, also known by his courtesy name Xizhi, died in the first year of the Xuantong reign.
Xiao Jusha died in the ninth year of the Republic of China.
Zhang Moyan came to her senses and realized that this was the spirit tablet of the Xiao family’s ancestor!
Realizing this, her hands trembled and she took a step back.
"Excuse me!" He quickly put his hands together, bowed 90 degrees and kowtowed three times. Because he was holding a flashlight in his hand, the light dazzled the room.
"Teacher Xiao, is this your family's ancestral hall?"
Xiao Xingyu, who was quietly observing the stone tablet, came back to his senses and said calmly, "I don't think so."
Zhang Moyan was surprised at first, then nodded.
Because of her work, she had visited folk ancestral halls in some areas of Zhejiang and Guangdong. All of them were exquisitely decorated, magnificent, and rich in offerings. They were nothing like this place, which was solemn, cold, and even a little depressing.
"That's right," Zhang Moyan's gaze lingered on those names, muttering to himself, "Your Xiao family is an ancient family with a long history. If it were an ancestral hall, how could there only be a dozen or so names?"
"Then who are they?" the little aunt asked, hugging Xiao Xingyu's neck.
The surroundings were very quiet. The clear child's voice was like a small stone thrown into a quiet and deep pool, making a tinkling sound and creating ripples.
Xiao Xingyu looked up at the names without saying a word. Zhang Moyan looked at him from the side. His brows seemed to be furrowed, and from the shape of his mouth, he seemed to sigh, but it was barely audible.
"They are just like the old man. They happened to be people who were able to make celadon porcelain during their lifetime." Xiao Xingyu took a breath and exhaled, saying, "They are all the most outstanding craftsmen in our Xiao family!"
"He was a person who happened to be able to produce celadon porcelain during his lifetime." Zhang Moyan repeated this sentence word by word, his heart beating uncontrollably faster. His gaze returned to the black stone tablet, and he was deeply shocked.
No wonder there are only a dozen or so names on the monument!
No wonder the years of death listed here span so many dynasties!
No wonder the characters on the stele are all in regular script, but if you look closely you can see different handwritings!
No wonder there's a large empty space on this monument...
The little aunt was so shocked that she was speechless. Although she was still young, as a member of the Xiao family, she certainly knew how important it was to produce celadon-glazed porcelain.
"So many people..." After a while, the little aunt exclaimed, "I thought Guo Tao was the only one in the world who had this ability!"
"A lot?" Xiao Xingyu shook his head. "Only sixteen people emerged in over eight hundred years. How can that be considered a lot?"
His tone was heavy, very different from usual. The little aunt seemed to sense his mood and fell silent.
In the huge mountain hall, it was so quiet that only the sound of three people breathing could be heard.
Zhang Moyan slowly looked at the monument in front of her that had been tempered by time. As she watched the names pass by, a magnificent picture of the ancestors who had marched forward one after another and devoted themselves to great undertakings slowly unfolded in her mind, from stillness to movement.
As soon as I close my eyes, I seem to see generations of skilled craftsmen shouldering their mission. In the uncertain and stormy millennia, they have always struggled, faced difficulties, and moved forward courageously. They struggled as hard as Yugong moving the mountains, and were determined to explore.
The torrent of time has long blown away these once vibrant lives like a gust of wind, but the stone tablet in front of us has brought everything back to life.
These lives that have lived hard and then disappeared are tied tightly here and will never be dispersed again.
Here, the souls that have struggled for the revival of celadon porcelain over the past nine hundred years have been melted together!
Zhang Moyan's eyes were moist, and there seemed to be a thousand words churning in his chest, but in the end, they all turned into one sentence: "Some things, when persisted to the point of greatness, are shocking!"
Her voice choked with sobs: "It's not easy!" She couldn't help but reach out to touch these names, but in the end she retracted her hand because of the high and deep reverence she felt.
"Moyan, why are you crying?" The little aunt tilted her head and looked at Zhang Moyan curiously.
Only then did Zhang Moyan realize that she was in tears. She quickly turned her face away and wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.
"Mo Yan, why are you crying?" The little aunt kept asking, and Xiao Xingyu's eyes were also fixed on her.
Zhang Moyan lowered her head and sniffed: "It's just... it hurts so much."
"Feeling sorry?" The little aunt didn't seem to understand. "Feeling sorry for me? My legs don't hurt anymore. Stop crying!"
"Okay." She agreed, but tears were still falling.
I tried hard to hold back the sudden burst of tears, and just as I was trying to hold back the tears, a pair of big hands gently patted my back.
Zhang Moyan looked up, meeting Xiao Xingyu's soothing gaze. The man's peach blossom eyes were slightly tilted upward, and his dark pupils were filled with a gentle hue that was simply captivating.
"Although we haven't uncovered the secret of celadon porcelain, we have always lived a good life, with a stable home, enough food and clothing, and many children and grandchildren," he smiled.
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