Reborn in 1977

Chapter 277: The Four Great Skills

The so-called Four Arts of the Literati, namely the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, are essential skills for the older generation of traditional literati.

The emphasis on traditional literati is in contrast to "new-style literati." For example, the well-known Crescent Moon Society of the Republic of China was mostly composed of new-style literati. Their learning did not focus on the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but rather on knowledge.

Of course, it is not to say that all new-style literati lacked traditional skills; some were quite proficient. For example, Mr. Wen Yiduo was skilled in seal carving. During his time at the Southwest Associated University, when he lacked living expenses, he would carve a seal and sell it to earn money for wine. However, they were fewer in number compared to traditional literati, and their overall level was slightly lower.

In the earliest times, the skills of the literati were not the "Four Arts," but the legendary Six Arts, namely "rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics."

Rites came first, and mathematics last. Among them, charioteering referred to driving a chariot, and calligraphy included both classical texts and handwriting, reflecting the system of governing the country with "rites" during the early Zhou Dynasty.

Later, as rites and music collapsed, few people studied them. Charioteering was replaced by horseback riding, and charioteering disappeared. Later, the literati could not even ride horses, and this skill was completely lost, along with archery.

Thus, six hundred million became two hundred million, a disastrous loss.

By the Song Dynasty, even the two hundred million could not be preserved.

The "mathematics" that some people still studied in the Tang Dynasty was completely abandoned under the ideology of "all occupations are inferior, only studying is superior." The only thing left accompanying the literati was "calligraphy."

But how could literati only know how to read? Thus, there were many "refined skills" to show the literati's superiority.

The "qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting," which were previously just hobbies for leisure, were elevated and quickly squeezed out the "Six Arts," becoming the "Four Arts" of essential skills for literati, occupying the C position of literati skills for a long time.

At this time, "calligraphy" became specifically referring to handwriting.

Until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, many people waved their fists and shouted "complete Westernization." The literati and scholars were suddenly at a loss. Some were exasperated and cursed, while others supported changing course and learning from the West.

The guqin became the piano, Go became international chess, calligraphy became hard-pen calligraphy, and traditional Chinese painting became oil painting.

However, some leaned neither way, using the guise of "open-mindedness" to cleverly replace the "Four Arts of the Literati" with other "refined pursuits."

For example, the "Four Great Skills," which were once popular in "South Shanghai and North Tianjin," spread throughout the country and almost turned the non-mainstream into the mainstream.

These "Four Great Skills" were "good handwriting, a couple of Peking Opera excerpts, a few taels of old wine, and four rounds of mahjong."

Back then, no matter if you were just a pretty face or a showy but useless person, as long as you mastered these "Four Great Skills," you could join the ranks of the "literati" and become a guest of honor among officials and nobles, and a trendsetter in social circles.

And the proficiency in mastering the "Four Great Skills" determined the seating arrangement of the guests of honor and the distance from the core position of the social circle.

Master Lu recounted the changes in these "literati refined pursuits," picked up the small teapot that Chen Fan had given him during the New Year, brought it to his mouth, took a sip, sighed, and smiled, "Back then, I also ventured into Shanghai for a few days. At that time, I was young and vigorous. In order to squeeze into the local literati circle, I was encouraged by two black-hearted fellow villagers from Yunhu to learn these 'Four Great Skills.'"

After a pause, he turned to look at Chen Fan, who was listening intently, and laughed, "Of these Four Great Skills, I already knew the first one, calligraphy, and I wrote well, so naturally I didn't need to learn it again. It's just that after meeting those people, I was ridiculed for not being proficient in the other three."

Chen Fan chuckled, "They ridiculed you for that too?"

"Yes."

Master Lu laughed so hard that he couldn't close his mouth, not at all seeming ridiculed, "At that time, there were a few literati who liked my calligraphy. I won't mention their names, but in short, they all liked to play mahjong.

One of them, surnamed Hu, would definitely play mahjong at every gathering. When he invited me to meet, it was at the mahjong table, but his mahjong skills were not good, and he was always ridiculed by his other two friends. But when I played randomly, I often won.

He took his anger out on me, threatening that if I didn't learn mahjong well, I shouldn't go to see him, and he always said that there were ghosts in mahjong.

As a result, the next day, he ran to the place where I lived and demanded a piece of my calligraphy, saying that he had lost money the day before because of me and that I had to make up for it."

Chen Fan blinked, wondering in his heart, ghosts in mahjong? And surnamed Hu? Could it be Hu Shi?

Master Lu took another sip of tea, put down the teapot, and continued, "First, calligraphy; second, Peking Opera. This Peking Opera was originally the main singing style of Anhui Opera. Later, Anhui Opera entered Beijing and merged with the Xipi tune of Hubei Opera, becoming Peking Opera. Later, some people used Peking Opera to refer to opera.

At that time, almost everyone in Shanghai loved opera, and officials and nobles loved it too. Not only that, they also liked to find literati to 'listen in' to show their elegance.

So 'a couple of Peking Opera excerpts' meant that you had to understand opera and be able to perform it. If you could also sing a few excerpts with rhythm and accurate pronunciation, you would be regarded as refined by others. In this way, Peking Opera became an essential skill for flattering literati.

The three taels of old wine need not be said. From ancient times to the present, no literati gatherings have been without drinking. But literati drinking is particular. You can't just lift the bottle and drink it all, nor can you urge others to drink. Instead, you play 'drinking games.'"

Master Lu picked up the teacup to demonstrate, "Literati drinking must have rules and connotations. In their Shanghai dialect, it is said that it must have 'style.' You must be familiar with various drinking games and use them freely. In addition, as soon as a sip of wine enters your throat, you must be able to say the type, year, various advantages, and disadvantages, and even the brand.

Literati drinking must be moderate. It must be both bold and unrestrained, yet know when to stop. Being drunk must be orderly, and being wild must be stylish. Such a 'drinker' is the most popular at drinking parties."

Picking up the teapot, taking a sip of tea, wiping his mouth, and gently exhaling, Master Lu said with a face full of emotion, "At that time, I was only in my twenties, just when I was young and vigorous. I couldn't bear to be looked down upon, so I spent a lot of money to hire a few people who frequented social circles to learn how to play mahjong and how to drink, and I also hired a young actor to learn how to sing opera.

After messing around like this for more than a year, I also wrote calligraphy to sell for money, and I also received rewards from dignitaries. I was promoted by that literati surnamed Hu, and I also sold a few nonsensical articles in several newspapers and periodicals.

Over time, I became a 'literati' in Shanghai. I was young and frivolous, riding horses and singing drunkenly like a dream. In the end, I found that, in addition to earning a few dollars, I had wasted my time."

Chen Fan smiled silently to himself.

In Shanghai during the Republic of China, spending more than a year eating, drinking, and having fun, and being able to hire private tutors, and still earn a few dollars, besides envying you for being rich, what can I say?

After a while, Master Lu adjusted his emotions, turned to look at Chen Fan, and said seriously, "Are you curious why I listed these 'Four Great Skills' alongside the 'Four Arts of the Literati' and 'Epigraphy' as one of my three bottom-of-the-box skills?"

Chen Fan's eyes flickered slightly, not knowing how to respond.

If he were to use his true thoughts, he would definitely not be surprised at all.

The "Four Great Skills" seem to be unreliable skills, but if you study them carefully, you will find that each one is not simple.

"Calligraphy" and "Peking Opera" need not be said, they are another kind of inheritance of "music" and "calligraphy" in the "Six Arts." Even drinking and playing mahjong, haven't there been professional players in later generations who have become rich by relying on these skills?

Not to mention anything else, national-level wine tasters are high-level talents that major wineries are vying to hire. Mahjong is not bad either. Later, it was listed as a "national quintessence." Although it is a joke, it has also gone abroad and swept the world.

Moreover, the mahjong table is also full of "wisdom." Those who want to win must "deceive the upstream player," "stare at the downstream player," and "squeeze the opposite player." What is tested is a person's memory, overall planning level, and even familiarity with interpersonal relationships.

After a few rounds of mahjong, a person's eyesight, mental strength, and even the degree of familiarity with worldly wisdom are basically exposed.

So even "playing" may not be without promise.

And as Chen Fan, who had fought on the front line of business, understood the meaning of these "skills" the most, whether it was "three taels of old wine" or "four rounds of mahjong," they were actually weapons in the social arena!

Seeing that Chen Fan didn't speak, Master Lu didn't take it to heart, just looked at him, lowered his voice, and said seriously, "You have a lot of skills, but whether it's a veterinarian, a broadcaster, or writing articles, or calligraphy, Chinese medicine, and martial arts, they are all just pure 'skills.'"

What does that mean? Qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting can cultivate one's morality, and other skills can also help oneself and others, but none of them can 'connect' you with others."

Chen Fan, who already understood, immediately understood what he meant, and said softly, "Worldly wisdom?"

Master Lu immediately showed a smile on his face, nodded slightly, and laughed, "A promising child."

He leaned back in his chair and said softly, "After I returned from Shanghai, I cast aside all the skills I had acquired with great expense and effort, and focused solely on my studies, determined not to look at them or think about them again.

But I never expected that half a year later, my eldest brother would return home to visit and ask about my experiences in Shanghai. After listening, he told me to pick up those skills again, without telling me the reason, only instructing me to slowly understand it myself."

Speaking of this, he turned to look at Chen Fan and smiled, "In this regard, you are much more quick-witted than I am."

Chen Fan feigned embarrassment and smiled without saying anything.

Lu Siye continued, "My eldest brother has a high reputation in the family, so even if I didn't understand, I had to listen to him and continue to study wine tasting and playing mahjong."

As he said this, he suddenly stood up and slowly walked into the small room inside. He came out a moment later, holding several books in his hand, and handed them to Chen Fan, "These are what he found for me back then. You can use these books to practice your calligraphy these few days. After you finish copying them, return them to me, and I'll give you new ones."

Chen Fan took them and saw that they were all books about brewing and tasting wine.

Lu Siye leaned on the table to sit down and said seriously, "The first book is 'The Six Essentials of Wine,' written by Yang Wanshu, a famous scholar from Ningbo during the Jiaqing and Daoguang years of the former Qing Dynasty. The Yang family was a family of brewers, with great wealth and deep research into wine. He referred to 39 ancient books on brewing records, such as 'Lüshi Chunqiu,' Su Shi's 'Wine Classic,' Zhu Yizhong's 'Zhongshan Wine Classic,' 'Beishan Wine Classic,' and Dou Ge's 'Wine Manual,' combined with his own brewing techniques, and created this book in the second year of Daoguang, leaving it to be passed down in the family.

"In addition to this book, there are also many books that 'The Six Essentials of Wine' referred to, as well as many wine books written during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, such as the Yuan Dynasty's 'Qu Bencao,' Hu Sihui, the imperial physician in charge of meals, 'Dietary Principles,' Zou Xuan's continuation and expansion of 'New Book for Nourishing the Elderly,' the anonymous 'Complete Collection of Essential Matters for Home Use,' the Ming Dynasty's Gao Lian's health and dietary therapy 'Zunsheng Bajian,' and the Qing Dynasty's Wu Bin's 'Six Rules of Wine Administration,' and so on.

From brewing recipes and wine tasting rules to medicinal wine secrets and drinking essentials, everything related to wine is almost all-inclusive and was found by my eldest brother."

After a pause, he turned to look at Chen Fan, "However, there is one book that is above 'The Six Essentials of Wine,' and can be called the 'General Guide to Wine Matters.'"

Chen Fan looked at the four books in his hand, raised the bottom one, and asked, "Is it this book, 'Sheng Yin Bian'?"

(Republic of China edition of 'Sheng Yin Bian')

I didn't hear Lu Siye mention this book just now, so I just guessed.

Lu Siye smiled and nodded, "That's right, it's this book."

Then he explained, "'Sheng Yin Bian' was written by Lang Tingji of the Qing Dynasty. Lang Tingji's alias was 'Beixuan'. He didn't like to drink, but he liked to watch people drink. He wrote this book with two meanings: first, people should not indulge in wine, but should be better than wine; second, reading this book is better than drinking wine."

He stared at Chen Fan, "You are still young, so you must remember the meaning of 'Sheng Yin Bian'. If you can't understand the meaning and put it into practice, I advise you to stay away from wine, even if it's a buzzkill, you should drink cautiously. Otherwise, it's not just a buzzkill, but a disaster."

Chen Fan nodded vigorously, "I understand the principle that drunkenness leads to mistakes."

Lu Siye smiled and nodded slightly, and continued, "'Sheng Yin Bian' is divided into eighteen categories: Good Time, Excellent Place, Celebrities, Elegant Matters, Virtue, Efficacy, Writing, Government Orders, Manufacturing, Production, Titles, Utensils, Admonitions, Defects, Elegant Language, Miscellany, Positive Metaphor, and Borrowed Metaphor. It can be called a collection of great achievements in wine matters.

If you can memorize this book, you can talk about one, two, or three things, no matter who you discuss wine with, and you won't lose face. This is also the difference between drinking wine as a literati and drinking wine as an ordinary person."

Chen Fan pursed his lips and smiled, "I understand."

Lu Siye looked at him and nodded slowly, then leaned back in his chair, took a sip of water, and the smile on his face suddenly disappeared. He said softly,

"Originally, I didn't plan to tell you these things so early, after all, you are still young, and it's too early to learn these things. However, I think that old brother of Captain Xiao should have an extraordinary background."

Speaking, he turned to look at Chen Fan again, "And he seems to be very interested in you. He has been observing you for many days, and he should have the intention of promoting you.

I see that you are talented and quick-witted, and you learn everything quickly. You are not completely clueless about human relationships, but you don't quite understand how to deal with high-ranking officials and dignitaries. If you follow him, it's okay to face ordinary people, but if you deal with dignitaries, I'm afraid you will lose your composure and be easily looked down upon."

At this point, he paused and explained softly, "At any time, people are divided into three, six, and nine classes, not to say who is noble and who is lowly, but when there is a gap in position, there will naturally be distance.

Even in the new society, many dignitaries are close to workers and peasants, but after being in high positions for a long time, there is a distance. The only thing that can slightly make up for the distance is knowledge.

Therefore, most of those who could become guests of high-ranking officials and dignitaries in those years were literati, not ordinary farmers or shop assistants."

He looked directly at Chen Fan, "Life has no anger in itself, and there will naturally be anger when there is discord. I know that you are not a person who clings to power and wealth, otherwise you would not have stayed in this Lujiawan all the time, instead of going to higher places.

But if you don't cling to it, some dignitaries will think that you look down on them. When the time comes, you won't be angry with him, but he will be angry with you. Even if you have your dignitaries protecting you, 'living under someone else's roof' will inevitably make you feel embarrassed."

He suddenly smiled and raised his head and said, "At this time, the 'Four Unique Skills' will come in handy. Whether he is fond of elegance or likes to drink, you can compete with him. As long as you can make him happy, whether to advance or retreat will be up to you.

Today, I will teach you some of the 'Three Taels of Old Wine' skills first. After you finish reading these books, I will give you new ones.

After that, I will teach you 'Two Sips of Erhuang' and 'Four Rounds of Mahjong'. I hope that before you leave, you can learn as much of these unpresentable things as possible."

Hearing this, Chen Fan stood up with the books in his arms, and like when he first learned calligraphy from Siye, he respectfully bowed, "Thank you, Siye, for your care and teachings. I will definitely keep them in mind."

Lu Siye smiled contentedly and pointed at him, "What I like most about you is that you don't lose the drive of young people, but you also know how to advance and retreat and understand the big picture."

Then he waved his hand, "I've finished my words, you go and do your business."

Chen Fan didn't leave, grinned and smiled, "Siye, you just said that there is a book that records medicinal wine secrets, but I don't see it here. I happen to be planning to try brewing wine myself these few days, you see... ?"

Lu Siye's face suddenly collapsed, stood up and said helplessly, "I was just saying that you know how to advance and retreat and understand the big picture, and you're already asking for things before you even leave the door. You're really a little monkey."

Chen Fan followed him flatteringly, "Yes, yes, yes, little monkey. I'll brew a pot of monkey wine and invite you to taste it later."

Lu Siye looked back at him, flicked his sleeves unhappily, "Wait."

When he turned around, he chuckled and walked inside, saying, "You, even if you don't learn these 'Four Unique Skills,' you will never be bullied anywhere. I'm just worrying for nothing."

Chen Fan guarded outside the door without going in, just smiled softly, "It's not worrying for nothing. When I learn your 'Four Unique Skills,' I'll brew a few pots of good wine for you and then drink wine and sing operas with you. Or, when we can play mahjong someday, let's bring Captain Xiao and play a few rounds of mahjong with you."

He said with indignation, "Captain Xiao is really something, what's the point of calling that Old Man Lin over for no reason, causing some trouble for nothing. When the time comes, let's set up a game, and win him a month's worth of work points. When he loses money, he will naturally have no energy to mess around..."

Before he could finish his words, Lu Siye walked out, threw a book and slapped it on his chest, laughing and scolding loudly, "You still want to win him? Go away, go away."

Chen Fan neatly put the books away, put them in the drawing board bag, waved his hand and turned to leave, "Don't worry, I will study hard. Also, I will report to Doctor Lu tomorrow..."

The previous two chapters have been revised again. Every now and then a message pops up saying which chapter has been modified, and I don’t even know where it was changed. I'm too lazy to look back now, so let it be. If there are any inconsistencies in the plot, you can comment and I will revise it again. o (╥﹏╥) o