Chapter 99: Picture Reading
"Gradually, these symbols became more and more numerous, and the things they could represent became richer and richer.
Cang Jie was overjoyed and showed the symbols to everyone. At first, no one understood what they meant, but after Cang Jie explained it, everyone understood! From then on, it became much more convenient for people to take notes. They no longer had to stare at a pile of knots!
It is said that on the day when Cangjie successfully created Chinese characters, millet rained down from the sky, and the ghosts in the underworld were so scared that they cried.
Why? The invention of writing was a monumental event! It allowed us to record things and pass on knowledge, marking the beginning of civilization.
The gods in heaven were delighted and scattered millet to celebrate; the ghosts in the underworld were terrified, fearing that the power of the words would reveal all their tricks.
"This is the origin of the characters we use today. Without these characters, how would we know what happened long ago?"
Stories from ancient times seem to have some mythological color in the end.
Perhaps this arrangement can help people listen to the story more attentively.
Look, Gu Jiayue’s story is over, but most people are still in shock.
"Zizizizi, this man called Cangjie is really amazing. He can create Chinese characters based on just one sentence."
"Hey, it's not necessarily that he made all of this up. I think there must have been others who discovered this before him, but they just didn't make as many as he did."
"Well, it's true that without these characters, the wisdom of our ancestors wouldn't have been passed down to such a large extent."
“Writing is a great invention.”
...
Gu Jiayue watched everyone's discussion with a smile.
Seeing that everyone's voices had dropped, he raised his voice and said, "Okay, now let's go back and look at these figures."
She arranged the word "moon" from different periods in chronological order.
"This is the earliest form of writing the word 'moon', which we call oracle bone script. Look carefully, doesn't it resemble a crescent moon?"
Everyone nodded.
Just as Gu Jiayue was about to continue, a child suddenly stood up. "Sister Jiayue, why did Cangjie write the character '月' in the shape of a crescent? The moon can be full sometimes. Why didn't he write it as a round shape?"
Gu Jiayue was very surprised when she heard the child's question.
She gave the child an encouraging smile. "That's a very good question. Everyone, use your brains. Why didn't Cangjie use a circle to represent the moon?"
The child's face flushed red after being praised, but he also felt very proud. For a moment, his heart was beating very fast in his chest.
Faced with Gu Jiayue's question, everyone was confused at first, looking at the sky and then at the blackboard next to Gu Jiayue.
Then the lady slapped her thigh. "Hey, if we use a circle, it will coincide with the sun below!"
The old lady's words made everyone suddenly enlightened.
"Yes, the moon is sometimes round, but how can it compare to the sun, which is always round? How dare you steal the sun's image?"
"Ah, Aunt Zhang is really smart. She can actually think of such a profound question."
Aunt Zhang was very proud. "That's right, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice."
Seeing everyone's delight, Gu Jiayue couldn't help but nod frequently. "Grandma Zhang is right. The moon, while sometimes round, is mostly crescent. And using this shape, the recorder would move the outer line forward a bit in different months, so the passage of time can be inferred from the moon's changes."
"Oh, I see."
“The ancients were really smart.”
"Okay, let's continue..." Gu Jiayue pointed to the words on the wooden board and explained the origin and evolution of the word "moon".
Then he used the same method to explain the five words "sun", "sky", "man" and "earth".
"Okay, that's the end of my class today."
As soon as Gu Jiayue said it was over, a sound of regret was heard from the audience.
"It's over? How long has it been since it ended?"
"Hey, I didn't expect these words to be so simple. I'm almost sixty years old this year, but I still remember the few words Jiayue just said."
"Who says not? If I were ten years younger, I would definitely try to take the exam to become a scholar."
"Haha, Gu Erniu, just save your energy."
"Hey, Zhang Shitou, don't laugh at me. Just because I can't do it doesn't mean my son can't do it. Tomorrow I will send my son to Jiayue's school, and in two years I will let him take the exam for the scholar!"
Gu Jiayue struck the gong to control the situation. "Alright everyone, I'm not the only teacher in our school. My class is over, but there are other teachers' classes. Let's take a 15-minute break. Then Teacher Hua will teach everyone."
"By the way, Master Hua is giving us an embroidery class. Her skills were taught by the head of the Shanggong Bureau, which specializes in making clothes for nobles in the palace. Sisters, sisters-in-law, and aunts who want to learn can quickly go home and get their needles and thread, or ask the girls at home to come out and listen."
Gu Jiayue looked and saw that most of the children who came out with the adults to join in the fun were boys, and the very few girls were all under seven years old.
Those who are a little older basically didn’t come.
"What? Embroidery? This is an amazing craft."
"Wow, it was taught by the steward of the Shang Palace Bureau. How good must the embroidery be?"
Seeing the old woman's clear and logical explanation, the people beside her couldn't help but ask, "Auntie Wang, do you know about the Shang Palace Bureau?"
"I don't know, but it sounds really impressive. No, I have to ask my daughter-in-law to get my granddaughter to come and learn from her."
"Hey, hey, hey, I want to go too. This is a skill that can support my family."
"Oh, there's only a quarter of an hour. My home is too far away to make a round trip. What should I do?"
"Laihu, you run fast, go back and tell your sister to bring needle and thread!"
A quarter of an hour later, Hua Chao walked onto the podium.
Gu Zhigeng and Gu Bailu helped her arrange the things they brought and gave her a gesture of encouragement.
"Oh my God, look at that butterfly, it seems like it's coming alive and flying away." The young wives and girls who were called by their family exclaimed as they surrounded the embroidery pieces that Hua Chao brought.
"Look at this painting. The peonies on both sides are different colors. How did they do that?"
"Wow, look at the tiger's eyes. They're so fierce. They look like real tiger eyes."
Some people want to reach out and touch it, but they feel that their rough hands will ruin such a beautiful embroidery, so they can only keep getting closer and closer, trying to understand the magic inside with just their eyes and figure out one or two points.
Gu Zhigeng, who was protecting the embroidery at the side, tilted his head back and said, "These were all embroidered by my sister Hua Chao. She is really amazing."
Compared to studying, Gu Zhi prefers embroidery. That's why she has the best relationship with Hua Chao.
During this period, she has learned a lot about Hua Chao.
Seeing so many people like her work, Hua Chao suddenly felt less nervous.
She set up the embroidery frame and watched Hu Zi and the Gu family arrange the stools into a semicircle as she had requested. "Alright, everyone, find a seat and let's start the class."
The women and girls came to their senses and hurried back as fast as they could, trying to grab a seat in the row closest to Hua Chao.
Only by sitting there can you fully see how those vivid things are embroidered.
Gu Jiayue quickly came out to maintain order. "Everyone, please don't crowd. Just like before, sit according to your height."
Some people were extremely dissatisfied. With so many people wanting to learn, how could they see clearly if they sat in the back?
"Miss Jiayue, my aunt's eyesight is not good. If I sit at the back, I won't be able to see anything. Can you please be kind and let me sit here?" The aunt who was speaking occupied a stool and was unwilling to leave.
The little girl whose stool she had snatched away was crying, but she dared not cry or speak.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
