Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 191 Good stuff

Liu Erlang sipped his tea and looked at Zuo Shangying.

"I never expected that following Mr. Tong would lead me to visit the Yang family."

Liu Erlang also felt that the Yang family was a good place. It didn't have the stench of money that clung to merchants. Instead, it was peaceful and harmonious. Everyone sat together discussing tabloids, which was much more convenient than in a teahouse.

Moreover, Liu Erlang wanted to see Madam Xie again. This lady's appearance was somewhat unusual. When he returned home and mentioned this to his sister, they both felt that Madam Xie resembled the second lady of the Xie family in Kaifeng, though only somewhat.

Madam Xie's every move exuded a dignified and graceful air, making him unable to help but look away.

Tong Zixu said, "Just now I met Madam Xie, and she mentioned something that I think we should think about carefully."

Tong Zixu was speaking to Zuo Shangying and Liu Erlang, who were standing beside him.

The two of them listened attentively.

Tong Zixu took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and showed it to everyone.

"The tabloid has been printed for a while now. Madam Xie also asked people who had read the tabloid to say that the articles would be easier to read if punctuation was added."

After all, most literate people in the general population can only read articles superficially, and words without punctuation may be ambiguous or misinterpreted.

“Going back a thousand years, some people used symbols in their writings. However, the ability to read and write was limited to a few people. Furthermore, there were teachers who taught how to punctuate sentences, so it was not necessary to use symbols. Therefore, it was not widely adopted.”

“But our tabloid is meant to circulate among the public, and not all readers are familiar with punctuation. Since many of our articles are written in a popular style, why not simply add punctuation marks next to them to make them easier to understand?”

Liu Erlang and Zuo Shangying both thought it made sense.

Zuo Shangying said, "These punctuation marks have been passed down from various dynasties and there are many kinds. We might as well start with the simple ones and add others after everyone is familiar with them."

“I agree,” said Liu Erlang. “This will also make it easier to engrave.”

Looking at the paper in his hand, Tong Zixu suddenly felt that he was not suited for officialdom. It would be better to live a secluded life in the countryside, teaching his disciples and writing articles every day. Wouldn't that be wonderful? With this in mind, he didn't even want to participate in this year's imperial examination.

Tong Zixu pondered for a moment, then looked around. When he arrived earlier, he had seen a cat on the wall that looked somewhat like Wang Hechun's.

So his mind was filled with a lot of... thoughts.

Despite his exceptional talent, Wang Hechun was undeniably impressed by Lady Xie; otherwise, why would he have taken the initiative to write an inscription for the tabloid? Wang Hechun had already sensed something amiss when he brought Yang Qin over.

As Tong Zixu was pondering this, he felt something slip into his arms. Tong Zixu looked down and found himself staring wide-eyed at the fox spirit.

The raccoon licked its lips, looked at the table, and then reached out a paw to touch his arm.

This cat is good in every other way, except it likes to steal dried meat.

The dried meat that the Yang family had just brought out was baked on a small clay stove, and its aroma immediately filled the air.

Tong Zixu picked up a piece of paper, broke it in half, gave one half to the cat, and put the other half in his mouth. Then he continued to look at the note in his hand.

A familiar scent of incense wafted into my nostrils; it was coming from the cat.

Tong Zixu knew without a doubt that it was the incense Wang Hechun liked to use. The fragrance hadn't faded yet, indicating that it had only been applied recently, meaning that Wang Hechun was likely also at the Yang family's residence.

Tong Zixu blinked, controlling the thoughts surging in his mind. He could inquire about and speculate about other people's affairs, but he couldn't do that about Wang Hechun.

He was already intimidated last time. If he speaks or writes recklessly again, he might become mute or crippled.

"Brother Tong, what's that in your arms...?"

Tong Zixu hid the cat's head in his sleeve: "It's probably raised by the Yang family, coming to beg for dried meat. Everyone, just ignore it." Was it easy for him? Not only was he being threatened, but he also had to help cover it up.

Logically speaking, talented men and beautiful women are the topics that scholars like to talk about most when they gather together.

However, when Tong Zixu thought about what Xie Niangzi and Wang Hechun looked like, the intimidation he felt from putting the two of them together seemed to grow exponentially.

But I dare not think about it!

Tong Zixu finally managed to put all these thoughts out of his mind. The cat in his arms finished eating the dried meat and raised its head, revealing the red rope woven around its neck. The red rope was clearly made by a woman, and it was slightly crooked, indicating that the person who wove it was not very skilled. A small jade fish hung from it.

Tong Zixu dared to say that this was definitely not made by Wang Hechun, so the one who made it was...

It seems he knows some secret again.

Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, do not think what is improper!

Tong Zixu felt he should go to Baode Temple to listen to the abbot's sermons, calm his mind, and then ask for a string of Buddhist prayer beads to protect himself, so that he could live peacefully in Daming Prefecture.

Fortunately, no one noticed Tong Zixu at that moment.

Because Madam Xie brought out the gifts she made for everyone.

Yang Qin and Yang Jiang personally delivered the gifts to each person. Yang Qin said, "These are gifts from my sister-in-law. You can use them here and take them home later."

Each person received a box, which felt quite heavy in their hands.

Liu Erlang eagerly opened the box, then froze in place, and the others showed almost the same expression.

"This is... a lotus flower painting I drew."

"This is my steed."

"My peony."

The group took out tea sets, bowls, and plates from boxes in their bosoms. The white porcelain with black patterns featured the paintings that Xie Yuyan had recently asked them for.

They painted it on the porcelain with skillful brushstrokes, as if they had just painted it themselves.

This was the first time they had ever seen this kind of porcelain. What they found even more amazing was how it was fired.

If this were shown to others, not only could they appreciate the painting, but they could also use it to enjoy drinks and conversation, which would truly be a delightful thing.

In addition to tea sets and other items, Tong Zixu also had a Ruyi pillow in his hands. Yang Qin brought a soft cushion and placed it on the Ruyi pillow to support Tong Zixu's arm.

However, before Tong Zixu could even get close, several people gathered around to look.

"This porcelain pillow is black with white patterns."

The black and white colors give this set of porcelain a special charm, and the Ruyi pillow is inscribed with poems by Tong Zixu.

Forget about food and drinks, everyone simply gathered together and started talking.

"This is a better thing than a clay stove."

"I think so too, this skill has never existed before."

"It can be fired from anything, regardless of the material."

……

Compared to the bustling atmosphere here, Wang Yan's solitary seat in the study seemed somewhat desolate.

However, everything was just right.

Before Wang Yan were two Yuhuchun vases, one black and one white, with similar patterns, but the black glaze looked dignified, while the white glaze appeared more elegant.

The transformation between black and white is like yin and yang.

Wang Yan suddenly remembered what Tong Zixu had said to him when he was drunk: "No one in the world knows you. You are humble on the surface, but you are actually very cunning. You are truly two sides of the same coin. If I ever get the chance, I will definitely write it down."

Why did he feel that the spring bottle she gave him matched Tong Zixu's words so well?

(End of this chapter)