Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1111 Brother Shen

Chapter Two: First Encounter The late spring rain stopped, but the sky was not completely clear. The clouds were like crumpled cotton wool, lazily spread across the sky. Occasionally, a few rays of sunlight struggled to penetrate the clouds, casting mottled light and shadows on the bluestone road. After a night of rain, the garden of the Shen Mansion looked even more lush and green. The copper bells on the eaves were still hung with crystal water droplets. When the wind blew, they made a crisp tinkling sound, as if someone was gently plucking the strings of a musical instrument. Shen Yanqiu sat in the study, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the ice cracks on the edge of the inkstone. The rice paper on the table was spread out, and the ink had long since dried. It was a small calligraphy he had written in the morning. The strokes were neat but a bit stiff. Qingzhu had just come in to change the tea. The freshly brewed Longjing tea before the rain stretched out its leaves in the white porcelain cup. The hot mist blurred the scenery outside the window and the look in his eyes. "Sir, Mr. Xie's carriage has arrived at the door." Qingzhu's voice was a little cautious. He saw that Shen Yanqiu had been fidgeting all morning, and even his favorite chess game was in a mess. Shen Yanqiu's fingers holding the teacup suddenly tightened, and the warm tea scalded his fingertips. He put down the teacup, stood up and straightened the hem of his moon-white brocade robe. The material was the finest Hangzhou silk, embroidered with dark cloud patterns. His mother had it specially made, saying that Xie Linzhou was a scholar and that wearing simple clothes would show his elegance. But he always felt that the buttons on his collar were too tight, as if something was stuck in his throat. "I know, I'll go to the front yard to greet him." His voice was deeper than usual, as if he was afraid of disturbing something. When passing through the corridor, Shen Yanqiu caught a glimpse of the wisteria in full bloom under the corridor. Clusters of pale purple flower spikes hung down, stained with last night's raindrops, and fell to the ground when the wind blew, spreading the ground with broken purple. He suddenly remembered that on the Lantern Festival three years ago, he had seen such purple wisteria by the Qujiang Pond. At that time, Xie Linzhou was standing under the flowers, wearing a stone-blue robe, bending down to pick petals from the hair of a little girl who was picking flowers. The sunlight fell on the tips of his hair, and the lines of his profile were as soft as an ink painting. At that time, he only dared to watch from afar, his heart beating like a rabbit, until Xie Linzhou turned around and looked at him, then he hid in the crowd in panic. "Brother Shen." A gentle voice sounded behind him. Shen Yanqiu turned around suddenly and bumped into a pair of smiling eyes. Xie Linzhou stood by the moon-shaped door. The moon-white brocade robe on his body was more plain than Shen Yanqiu's, with only a circle of silver cloud pattern embroidered on the cuffs. The warm jade around his waist was made of the finest Hetian seed material, which had been rubbed to a lustrous and translucent state. It swayed gently with his movements, reflecting a warm luster. He had just gotten off the carriage, and there were still some grass scraps on the corners of his robe, but he did not look disheveled at all, but instead added a touch of casual elegance. The sunlight just happened to leak through the gaps in the clouds, falling on his hair and eyebrows, giving his gentle smile a faint golden edge. Shen Yanqiu suddenly felt that the spring scenery in the garden seemed to be absorbed by this smile, and even the air was filled with a faint warmth. "Thank you, brother, for coming from afar. I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person." Shen Yanqiu calmed down, and his fingertips trembled as he bowed. He deliberately avoided Xie Linzhou's gaze and looked at the warm jade around his waist. The color of the jade reminded him of a piece he had seen in his grandmother's room when he was a child, but the piece in front of him was more warm, like moonlight soaked in a clear spring. When Xie Linzhou returned the gift, his fingertips accidentally brushed against Shen Yanqiu's cuffs. The slightly cool touch ran through him like an electric current, causing Shen Yanqiu's shoulders to stiffen almost imperceptibly. "You're too polite, Brother Shen. I've wanted to visit you for a long time, but I was busy with some trivial matters in the Hanlin Academy a few days ago and was delayed." His voice was smiling, and the ending tone rose slightly, like ripples caused by the spring breeze blowing across the lake. The two walked side by side in the corridor, Qingzhu followed far behind with a tea box, deliberately keeping a distance of ten steps. Water droplets were still rolling on the banana leaves outside the corridor, and occasionally a few drops fell, hitting the bluestone slabs, splashing small water splashes. After the initial greetings, Xie Linzhou talked about a rare book he had read in the Hanlin Academy recently. It was "Landscape Secrets" written by a painter in the Southern Liang Dynasty. The discussion on ink method in it was quite exquisite. "...That painter advocates the 'five colors of ink,' saying 'burnt, thick, heavy, light, and clear' need to harmonize with the spirit of the landscape. For example, distant mountains should be painted with light ink, making them appear almost invisible, as if shrouded by mist." Xie Linzhou said this, raising his hand to gesture, his fingertips tracing a gentle arc in the air. "Brother Shen's landscape paintings are renowned. What are your thoughts on this?" Shen Yanqiu was surprised that he had seen his own paintings, and his ears felt slightly hot. He had painted "Traveling in Autumn Mountains" for the Double Ninth Festival Poetry Festival last year. When a friend took it to be framed, it seemed to have circulated in the Hanlin Academy for a few days. He gathered himself and said softly, "Brother Xie is absolutely right. I believe that the technique of using ink should not only suit the spirit of the landscape, but also the state of mind. If one paints the same distant mountain with an open mind, the light ink will have a touch of brightness; if one is depressed, the light ink will have a hint of stagnation." A glint of admiration flashed in Xie Linzhou's eyes. "Brother Shen, you hit the nail on the head. The saying 'painting comes from the heart' doesn't just refer to the artistic conception, but even the brush and ink contain one's thoughts." He turned to look at Shen Yanqiu. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the corridor columns and fell into his eyes, like two clear springs. "When I look at Brother Shen's paintings, although his brushstrokes are steady, I always feel that there is a sense of restraint, as if his hands and feet are bound by something." Shen Yanqiu's heart suddenly tightened, as if someone had discovered his secret, and he hurriedly looked away. The pomegranate tree outside the corridor had sprouted new leaves, and the tender red leaves swayed gently in the wind, making his eyes dizzy. "Thank you for your compliment, brother. My skills are still limited, and I need to learn more from you." His voice was a little dry, and his fingers pinching the corner of his robe were so tight that they turned white. Xie Linzhou didn't seem to notice his abnormality, and smiled and talked about something else. From the brushwork of "Lanting Preface", to the artistic conception of "Spring River Moon Night", to the Huxuan dance from the Western Regions. His knowledge was astonishingly broad, and when he talked about these, his eyes flashed with a bright light, as if there were stars falling in them. Shen Yanqiu gradually relaxed and listened to him talk about his experiences traveling in the south of the Yangtze River, how hazy the mist and rain of West Lake was, how turbulent the tide of Qiantang River was, and how the sound of the oars of the black-sailed boats in the water town was like the nursery rhymes sung by his mother when they crossed the water. "...The bridges in that water town are all stone arch bridges, with round archways, reflected in the water like the full moon." Xie Linzhou said, and suddenly stopped, pointing to the rockery not far away, "Brother Shen, look, there is an orchid in the crevice of the stone." Shen Yanqiu looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that there was indeed an orchid growing in the crevice of the Taihu stone rockery. The stone of the rockery is blue-gray, full of holes, and looks rough and hard, but in the narrowest crevice, the orchid grows stubbornly. The leaves are dark green, with slightly curled edges, as if squeezed by the stone, but still stretching upwards,