tallest building

Chapter 38 Delicious Dishes

Gong Chang'an brought over paper and pen, and Gong Xu then ordered him to write a few words at random for him to see.

Gong Baoan couldn't help but feel the urge to practice. He figured he had to practice calligraphy every day anyway, so he might as well finish it here and then play with Gong Chang'an.

So he said, "Father, I also want to write with my fourth brother."

"Then let's all do it together! Each of you write a five- or seven-character quatrain." Gong Xu saw that there were several pens on the table, so he asked him to write one as well.

The stone table wasn't large, and the two brothers stood facing north and south, each occupying half of the tabletop.

Gong Baoan stood ramrod straight, paying meticulous attention to every stroke of his pen, showing great caution.

In contrast, Gong Chang'an had his left hand behind his back, while his right hand moved with the grace of a dragon, completing the work in one smooth stroke.

"Fourth Brother, are you finished writing?" Gong Baoan asked in surprise. "I haven't even finished two sentences."

Gong Xu frowned again. Gong Chang'an was not writing in the regular script that children usually learn, but in running script.

"This is utter nonsense!" Gong Xu said angrily. "How old are you? You can't even walk properly and you want to run!"

"Father, please don't be offended. It's just that you didn't tell me what characters to write, so I wrote in running script. Now I'm just rewriting it." Gong Chang'an said as he changed the paper.

But he managed to finish the last stroke just as Gong Baoan finished writing.

Gong Bao'an eagerly held up his handwriting and came to Gong Xu, saying, "Please correct me, Father."

He wrote a poem called "Little Pine":
Since I was young, in the deep grass, I have gradually felt basil.

People didn't know Lingyun wood at the time, and waited until Lingyun began to rise high.

Gong Xu took it and examined it carefully, saying, "The characters 'head' and 'deep' are the best, but 'peng' is a bit loose and 'hao' is too cramped. You need to practice it more. However, the poem's spirit is good."

Gong Baoan nodded and took it to examine it again.

Gong Xu then looked at Gong Chang'an's, and saw that he had written:
"A secluded gate faces the mountain path, a study is nestled among the deep willows."

"A gentle light shines in the daytime, its clear glow illuminating my clothes."

"Do you know the first four lines of this poem?" Gong Xu asked.

“It is ‘The road ends where the white clouds end, and spring stretches along the green stream. Sometimes fallen flowers arrive, and the fragrance of flowing water can be heard from afar.’” Gong Chang’an recited it off the cuff.

“Indeed, this is a poem by Mr. Yi Shan, but it's a pity it lacks a title.” Gong Xu nodded. “Why did you write this poem?”

Gong Chang'an smiled: "My son didn't think much about it; he just liked its transcendent and detached nature. Even though it lost its title, it's still a good poem."

"Yes! Reading is reading, don't mistake it for a ladder to heaven." Gong Xu himself was a leisurely and easygoing person at heart, and becoming an official was just a matter of worldly affairs.

He couldn't help but feel that the child was quite similar to himself.

Looking at Gong Chang'an's calligraphy, it is clearly more stable and powerful than Gong Bao'an's.

For a child of this age to be able to write like this is truly remarkable, even in the capital city where talented people abound.

But Gong Xu naturally wouldn't praise him too much; instead, he would point out his flaws: "Your calligraphy is sharp and unrestrained, too overt, which is not a good thing."

Gong Chang'an respectfully replied, "Father's teachings are correct, I will remember them."

"It smells so good!" Gong Baoan sniffed intently, like a little dog. "Where is this fragrance coming from?"

“It’s Zhang Ma who’s cooking,” Gong Chang’an said with a smile, “braised bean sprouts with sea bass soup.”

Gong Bao'an was already hungry; he had wanted some snacks earlier, but his father hadn't allowed it. Now, tempted by the aroma, he couldn't suppress his cravings any longer. Seeing his expression, Gong Chang'an said, "If Fifth Brother doesn't mind, you can stay and have dinner with me."

Gong Bao'an had been waiting for these words. He tugged at Gong Xu's sleeve and said coquettishly, "Father, Mother isn't feeling well anyway. Let's stay here for a meal before going back! That way we won't bother her."

Gong Xu has been eating Zhang Ma's cooking frequently lately and has become quite addicted to it.

In addition, since Gong Chang'an mentioned that there was his favorite sea bass, he didn't refuse Gong Bao'an's suggestion, but he didn't explicitly agree either.

Gong Chang'an took Gong Bao'an's hand and said to Gong Xu, "Father, come in too. Zhang Ma cooks very quickly; she can easily add two more dishes within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Gong Xu, however, remained seated and motionless.

As Zhang Ma came out of the room, she instructed two maids to tidy up the stone table under the Chinese tallow tree.

"It's rare for Master and Fifth Young Master to come over, so please try my cooking!" Zhang Ma didn't even ask if Gong Xu was eating there. She quickly brought over the food she had prepared and placed it on the stone table.

"Fun! Fun! Eating in the courtyard is so much fun!" Gong Baoan was overjoyed.

Wen Mingqian never came out of the room, and Gong Xu really didn't want to see her either. The grudge between the two was too deep, and facing each other would only make things awkward.

Zhang Ma's dishes are delicious and visually appealing; everyone who has tried them can't resist them.

Seeing that his two sons were looking at him expectantly, Gong Xu did not get up to leave, but picked up his chopsticks instead.

"You two sit down and eat with us," Gong Xu said to his two sons.

Gong Baoan had been able to maintain some composure at first, but after taking a bite of the food, he couldn't care less about anything else. His chopsticks flew up and down in his hand, and he even complained that he was too slow.

Seeing him like this, Gong Chang'an couldn't help but serve him food several times.

Then Zhang Ma brought out two more dishes, made with nothing more than vegetables and tofu, but the taste was truly amazing.

Gong Baoan originally hated tofu the most, but Zhang Ma's tofu balls were so fragrant and chewy inside and crispy on the outside that he wanted to eat more after eating one.

"Bao'er, don't eat too much for dinner," Gong Xu warned.

"Mmm..." Gong Baoan nodded in agreement, but his hands and mouth didn't stop moving.

He was thinking that his father was eating more than usual, and it wasn't just him eating.

Then Zhang Ma brought out a bowl of sour bamboo shoot soup to aid digestion, which the father and his two sons shared.

Song woke up groggily and saw that it was already quite dark when she opened her eyes.

Granny Yang hurriedly asked from the side, "Young Madam, how are you feeling now? Are you feeling any better?"

"Where did Master and Bao'er go? Isn't it time for dinner?" Madam Song raised her hand and rubbed her temples.

"Well... Master took Young Master Bao over there." Granny Yang smiled awkwardly. "We've already sent word that they're staying for dinner. Please make yourself at home, Madam."

Song was naturally displeased upon hearing this and said, "If we keep doing this once, we'll become too familiar with each other. After a while, we won't come to our Ruixiang Residence anymore."

"No, not at all. I heard that Master went over today to test Fourth Young Master's knowledge, and since it would take a while, he stayed for dinner there." Granny Yang comforted Madam Song. "In Master's heart, who can compare to you?"

“But I don’t think this is a good thing in the end,” Song’s worries were not relieved by Yang Pozi’s words. “Over time, people’s hearts will change, and we must be on guard!”

“What you say is true, young lady, but your health is the most important thing right now. Let’s have dinner first! We’ll have the doctor come over early tomorrow morning to take a look at your illness.”

(End of this chapter)