Chapter 79 [VIP]
The carriage clattered along the official road leading to Jizhou Prefecture.
Today marks the tenth day of Chen Qingyan and his group's trip. Although they still miss home, the three of them are gradually getting used to life away from home.
Every morning after washing up, I get off the bus and walk for half an hour to exercise. In Mr. Liang's words, sitting in the bus for too long will make your bones rust and you will definitely get sick.
After exercising, I would get on the bus and start reading aloud. The books I read were not limited to the Four Books and Five Classics; I could also read historical records and miscellaneous notes. But after reading, I had to write a summary and reflection.
Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai also need to write a policy essay, and Qingsong has copied five pages of large characters.
Writing on a carriage inevitably involves shaky handwriting, but Mr. Liang's standards were not low at all. Any writing that was not done well or had smudges had to be rewritten.
At first, it tormented the three of them quite a bit, but over time they developed the ability to find peace amidst chaos, and could even write neat characters while the carriage was bumping.
When they passed through Qingyang County, Liang Boqing decided to take the three of them into the city to rest for a day before continuing their journey, because Qingyang County had a spectacular waterfall. This waterfall had a drop of seventeen zhang (approximately 120 meters), and the water splashed down, making for a magnificent sight. They decided to take this opportunity to go in and appreciate it.
When we drove to the vicinity of the waterfall, we could already hear the roar of the water. It was early spring and the snow was melting, so the waterfall was in its high-water season. The water rushed down from the hundred-foot cliff and plunged into the deep pool. The spray from the water enveloped the entire pool, and when the sun shone on it, it reflected a rainbow of colors, which was breathtaking.
Old Liang exclaimed excitedly, "Quickly, bring me paper and pen!"
Chen Qingsong turned around and ran back to the carriage to fetch paper, pen, and a table.
Grandpa Liang sat on the ground and wrote furiously, producing a "Waterfall Ode" in no time.
"A hundred-foot waterfall cascades down, breaking through the green mountains. A white ribbon hangs in the air, its spray like frost in the deep ravines; the Milky Way pours down, its thunderous roar rushing into the deep pool. At first, it is a trickle of clouds, which gathers into a vast sky. Cliffs crumble and rocks split, with a thunderous roar like a dragon's cry in the ravine; pearls leap and foam spill, sparkling like mermaids weeping on an ice plate."
Its shape, when viewed from above, resembles a white rainbow drinking from a stream; when viewed from below, it resembles a jade dragon descending a mountain. When the sun shines upon it, seven colors float in the sky, and rainbows pierce the peaks; when aided by rain, ten thousand drums shake the earth, and snow waves surge to the sky. Rock flowers and stream grasses are often bathed in its spiritual moisture; misty pavilions and cloud-covered windows are always imbued with a cool and refreshing atmosphere.
As for viewing the waterfall on a moonlit night, one is particularly struck by the wonders of nature: the moon and water reflect each other, shattering jade-like droplets a thousand feet high; the wind and smoke have all cleared, leaving a mirror of ice suspended in the heavens. The murmuring sound cleanses the ears of humankind; the clear spirit washes away the dust of the world. (Note ①)
The three people standing behind him were speechless with shock. This was the first time their master had displayed his talent in front of them. No wonder he was known as the number one scholar in Jiangnan. He could write such a wonderful article in the short time it takes to burn an incense stick. It was truly beyond their reach.
After Liang Boqing finished writing, Chen Qingyan quickly took it to read and appreciate it. After the ink dried, he carefully folded it and put it away.
After visiting the waterfall during the day, we spent the night in the town. After staying at the inn for several days, we can finally sleep in the guesthouse today.
They booked three rooms: one for two people, one for Er Shun and Chen Guang (Chen Guang was an attendant sent by Fourth Uncle to take care of his son), one for Qing Huai and Qing Song, and one for Chen Qingyan with Old Master Liang.
He was probably tired from the day, so after helping his master wash up, he lay down to sleep. Once the master was sound asleep, Chen Qingyan quietly blew out the candle and went into the experimental field.
The experimental field was bathed in sunshine. Wang Ying hadn't come in yet. He wandered around by himself, picked a few fruits, and sat under a tree, reading and eating them at the same time.
After waiting for fifteen minutes, I suddenly heard a series of babbling sounds.
Chen Qingyan suddenly looked up and saw Xiao Yuanbao walking in wearing open-crotch pants!
"Yuanbao?"
"Daddy, Daddy..." Little Yuanbao, showing a few tiny baby teeth, toddled towards him.
Chen Qingyan quickly picked him up and excitedly lifted him above his head, "How did you get in? Where is your father?"
"Father, food, Yuanbao play."
Chen Qingyan roughly understood what he meant: Wang Ying was eating outside and told him to play by himself for a while, but the child actually ran into the experimental field!
How exactly Yuanbao opened the experimental field remains unknown, but it certainly gave him a big surprise.
Chen Qingyan hugged and kissed her son repeatedly, wiped the fruit in her hands clean, and ate it with him.
The child was overjoyed. He hadn't seen his father for many days and was very close to him, hugging his neck and lingering in his arms, unwilling to leave.
The two played wildly in the experimental field for a while before Chen Qingyan realized why Wang Ying hadn't come in yet. Could it be that he didn't know Yuanbao was in the experimental field?
At this moment, the family in the village outside was almost frantic with worry.
In the evening, Wang Ying played with Yuanbao in the yard. These past few days, little Yuanbao has learned to walk and can't stay indoors; he insists on playing in the yard.
The yard was spacious and flat. Although there was a stream, the water was shallow and less than half a foot deep, so there was no danger. He was let out to play almost all day.
Just as it was almost time for dinner, Li asked Wang Ying to go inside and get some egg custard to feed the child. Wang Ying left Yuanbao alone in the backyard to go inside and get something. In just a few moments, the child went into the experimental field by himself, and when he came out, Yuanbao was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Ying's scalp tingled with fear, and she dropped the steamed egg custard she was holding onto the ground.
"Mother, mother!"
"What's wrong?" Li asked, noticing something was off about his voice. She rushed out.
"Yuanbao! Yuanbao is gone!"
"What?!"
Li was also terrified and immediately said, "He's so small, he can't have gone far. He must still be in the yard. Quickly search for him!"
The family began searching everywhere, turning every inch of the house upside down, but they still couldn't find Yuanbao.
Li was so anxious that she burst into tears, and Wang Ying was also heartbroken, regretting that she had left the child alone in the yard.
The villa is close to the back mountain; could it have been carried away by wild animals?
Uncle Chen ran to call the villagers for help, and everyone started searching around the villa, but they still couldn't find the person.
As time passed, Wang Ying gradually calmed down, repeatedly recalling the scene in her mind.
It takes at most two minutes to go from the yard to the house. In those two minutes, it's impossible for a large wild animal to enter the yard and silently carry the child away.
In addition, with dogs and cats at home, it's impossible for wild animals to appear without making a sound. A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
Could it be an experimental field?
There's really no other explanation for his son's disappearance except for the experimental field.
Wang Ying avoided everyone and went into the bedroom, locked the door, and went straight into the experimental field. As soon as she entered, she heard her son's giggling laughter.
"Gold ingot!"
Upon hearing the sound, Chen Qingyan rushed over, "You've finally come in! I don't know how this child got in here, and he won't go back no matter how I tell him to."
Wang Ying rushed over, picked up Yuanbao, and slapped his buttocks twice.
"Waaah—" Yuanbao was inexplicably hit and started crying loudly.
Chen Qingyan was also puzzled, "Why did you hit him?"
Wang Ying's eyes were red with anger. "We've been looking for him like crazy! We thought he'd been carried off by a wild animal, but he's having a great time here."
Chen Qingyan immediately sided with her husband, tapping Yuanbao's little nose and saying, "You can't run around like that, okay? Grandma and Father will worry!"
Little Yuanbao nodded as if he understood, but Wang Ying didn't dare to stay too long. She picked up Yuanbao and left the experimental field first.
Outside, people were still searching, and occasionally they could hear Li's hoarse voice calling for Yuanbao.
“Grandma…” Xiao Yuanbao responded.
Li was stunned and called out again. Yuanbao stumbled out of the bedroom, "Grandma, Yuanbao is here..."
"Oh, my dear grandson!" Madam Li hugged Yuanbao tightly in her arms.
"May the Bodhisattva protect you, may the Buddha protect you, where have you gone? Your grandma is getting worried sick if she can't find you."
Unable to tell the truth, Wang Ying had to lie and say, "He crawled into the blankets, and I didn't see him when I was looking for him."
Little Yuanbao raised his head, pointed at Wang Ying and said, "Father, hit Yuanbao, Daddy will hug Yuanbao and eat peaches."
Li didn't understand what he meant by what he said next. She pinched his chubby little face and said, "Your father was right to hit you. Do you know how worried the family was when they couldn't find you? You must never run away again, understand?"
Yuanbao nodded obediently, and Wang Ying went out to call Uncle Chen back to tell them that the child had been found.
Everyone offered their congratulations. Although they had been called out late at night and had been running around for half the day, it was a great thing as long as the young boss was alright.
However, this incident served as a reminder to Wang Ying that no one should be left alone with her child, not even for a moment, because she simply could not bear the thought of something happening to him.
After the child fell asleep and everyone settled down, Wang Ying returned to the experimental field.
Chen Qingyan was still waiting for him inside. The two hadn't seen each other for four or five days. When they were at the post station, there was a shortage of rooms, so three people slept in one room. Chen Qingyan didn't dare to come in for fear of being discovered by others.
I would come in briefly each day to leave a couple of notes and then leave in a hurry. Today I had some free time, so I stayed a little longer.
"How was it? Did Mother ask where Yuanbao went after we sent him back?"
"I asked, but I brushed it off. It's really strange, how did this kid even get in?"
Chen Qingyan shook his head. "I don't know either. I had just sat down under the tree for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when he came running in."
Wang Ying was both amused and exasperated. "Now that he can come in, it's convenient. Next time you miss your son, I'll bring him in to show you."
"become."
"How have you been doing out there? Are you settling in well?"
Chen Qingyan pulled him to sit down and began to tell him about the trip in detail. "When we first came out, Qingsong couldn't handle the ride, and Master was also a bit carsick. We had to stop and rest every now and then."
We encountered a caravan along the way and traveled together for two days. The caravan leader was kind; upon learning that the teacher was carsick, he gave us a folk remedy: slice thin pieces of ginger, mix them with pepper, and apply the mixture to the navel to relieve the symptoms.
We bought some ginger and pepper for our master to try, and surprisingly, it really worked! We walked much faster for the rest of the journey, and today we arrived in Qingyang County to see the waterfall.
Chen Qingyan took out the poem about the waterfall that Liang Lao had written during the day and showed it to Wang Ying.
Although Wang Ying didn't know much about classical Chinese, she was still amazed by the old man's talent.
"We will continue our journey tomorrow. In another four or five days we will reach Jizhou Prefecture. We may stay there for more than ten days before heading to Laizhou."
Wang Ying said, "Be careful on the road. We'll find another opportunity to meet when we get to Jizhou Prefecture."
Chen Qingyan held his hand and nodded, "You too, take care of yourself."
"Don't worry, everything will be fine at home. You'll have to be careful out there, eating and sleeping in the open. Be frugal while traveling. I'm earning all this money to prepare for your imperial examinations."
"Hey." Chen Qingyan heard a cough coming from outside and didn't dare to linger any longer. She kissed her husband's forehead and quickly went out.
Inside the room, Grandpa Liang turned over and continued sleeping. Chen Qingyan tiptoed back to the bedside and lay down. The long night was making him miss Aying even more.
A note from the author:
Note ① is adapted from Xu Ning's "Lushan Waterfall".
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