Chapter 37: A Test of Knowledge
When Gongxu arrived home that day, he saw Mrs. Song’s face looking a little bad, so he asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Mrs. Song smiled a little reluctantly: “That’s true. It’s nothing, I just feel a little dizzy and have no strength.”
“Then why don’t you ask a doctor to take a look?” Gong Xu said, “The illness can be delayed.”
“Today? It’s time, let’s talk about it tomorrow.” Song said, “I just feel sleepy and want to sleep.”
"Then just rest." Gong Xu thought she might be too tired and it might be good to rest. "It's time for Bao'er to come back. I'll take him for a walk so as not to disturb you. I'll come back at dinner time." You must have taken a rest by then."
Ms. Song smiled tenderly and gratefully at Gong Xu. Gong Xu treated her well, was gentle and considerate, and never looked down upon her.
In fact, Ms. Song knew in her heart that Gong Xu treated her the way she did, largely because of her two children.
Gong Kang'an made Gong Xu feel guilty about him forever in his heart, while Gong Bao'an was like an invisible soft ribbon, tightly binding the two together.
Gong Xu loves children very much, she has known it for a long time.
Hearing the sound of footsteps outside, Gong Xu went out to greet them.
Sure enough, they met Gong Baoan head-on.
"Daddy is back. Baoan greets daddy." Gong Baoan was wearing a royal blue gauze robe, with a slight drop of sweat on his forehead.
“He ran away again, didn’t he?” Gong Xu asked with a deliberately serious face.
Gong Baoan shrank a little and defended in a low voice: "I just entered the second door and ran a few steps."
"Your mother is tired, let her sleep for a while, and I will take you around." Gong Xu no longer bluffed, but smiled at his son and held his little hand.
Gong Baoan followed his father out of the yard and said, "Dad, let's go see the fourth brother! I haven't seen him for many days."
Gong Xu lowered his head, She saw her youngest son looking at her longingly, his pure black eyes as clear as glass, without a trace of impurity.
I can’t help but think of myself chasing my brother Gong Rang all day long when I was young, like a little tail that couldn’t shake off.
Brotherhood is engraved in the bones. It would be too cruel to tear it apart, especially for children.
"It just so happens that daddy wants to see how your fourth brother's knowledge is, let's go right now!" Gong Xu found a high-sounding reason to erase the vague uneasiness in his heart.
In my free time before dinner, Gong Changan is playing Cuju in the yard.
He was dressed in short clothes and wore a pair of calfskin boots with inverted curtains. He kicked the Cuju back and forth as if it was stuck to his body.
"Fourth brother is so awesome!" Gong Baoan shouted and rushed over, "My uncle also has such a skill, but he doesn't show it to me often."
Gong Changan saw them coming After that, he gently put down the Cuju, straightened his clothes a little, and said hello to Gong Xu.
He turned back to Gong Baoan and said, "You're back from school? Are you tired?"
"That's all there is to do in school, there's nothing much to say. There are also people who play Cuju, but not like Fourth Brother. Skill." Gong Baoan seemed to admire his fourth brother even more, "Dad said that he would test your knowledge, and if you succeed, he would also ask you to study in school, so that we can have company. "
The child didn't hide his words, Gong Baoan immediately started shouting.
Gong Xu looked at Gong Changan calmly and saw that his whole body was covered with fine sweat. Although he was small, he was strong.
Handsome but not weak, valiant but not barbaric, like a small pine growing among rocks, tall and tough, free and natural. The two sons born to the Song family were both weak, fair, and gentle in temperament.
Gong Changan is obviously different.
"Let me ask you, what books have you read in the past few years?" Gong Xu sat on a chair under the tree, cleared his throat and asked.
"My son has not read many books, and he has only learned some superficial principles." Gong Changan stood aside with his hands lowered, "It is just a book for ordinary children to enlighten themselves."
"But Have you read "Poetry"?" Gong Xu asked him, turning his face slightly.
"I have read some, but I can't understand it." Gong Changan replied.
"Forget it, let me ask you, the poem goes: 'There are locust trees in the south, and kudzu is tired of them. Only a gentleman is happy, and he is blessed to walk in Sui.' How should we interpret it?"
Palace What I am asking about is the chapter "樛木" written by Zhou Nan in the Fifteen Kingdoms of the Book of Songs. It is not a famous chapter, but anyone who has read Mao's poems should know this chapter.
"There was an old poem that satirized King Ping of Zhou for abandoning the clan. "Preface to Mao's Poems" also said: Ge Shu was the assassin of King Ping. The Zhou family was in decline and abandoned its clan.
But my son thought that this statement was far-fetched, so he didn't want to agree.
The son thinks that poets are good at comparing themselves to others. This poem simply uses the idea of the two trees growing together to express joy and happiness. Whether it's a wedding or a birthday, all kinds of happy events can be celebrated, that's all. "
"You dare to question the predecessors at such a young age. The "Preface to Mao's Poems" has been circulated for thousands of years. How can you criticize it as a child with a yellow mouth? ! "Gong Xu's tone was a little cold, and his face had no expression.
Gong Baoan looked at it and couldn't help but worry for his brother, and said quickly: "I guess it's because the fourth brother has never been to school, and there is no teacher to teach him. . Our husband said that chapters like "Maoli" and "樛木" all talk about the decline of kingship and the sorrow of losing country and family. "
Gong Changan was not flustered, and still insisted on his own opinion: "Since ancient times, there have been many annotations on classics and history. There are similarities and differences. This book is also a matter of benevolence and wisdom.
The sage has said that it is better to have no books than to believe in books. My son feels that when studying, he must learn to figure things out on his own instead of blindly following the instructions of his predecessors.
Furthermore, Confucius once said: Three hundred poems can be summed up in one sentence, and the thoughts are innocent. The son is young and knows very little, but he only has an innocent heart.
When I read this poem, I just feel happy, harmonious, and happy. I read it again and again, but I still didn't get the sense of irony.
So I don’t want to go against my true intention and echo what my predecessors said.
Or maybe as you get older, you can appreciate other deeper meanings, which is unknown. ”
After listening to his explanation, Gong Xu didn’t say a word for a long time.
I have to say that Gong Xu very much recognized Gong Changan's understanding. He also felt that there were too many commonplaces in daily life that were dragged into beauty and state affairs in "Preface to Mao's Poems".
When he was a child, he read many passages in the Book of Songs. No matter what, he couldn't understand what the teacher said, but he still followed others' opinions against his will.
However, he would not praise Gong Changan for this, but changed the subject: "Go get a pen and paper, and I will see how you practice calligraphy."
Gong Changan responded and turned around. Entering the house, Wen Mingqian had already sent the maid over with tea and snacks.
Gong Baoan was hungry. Looking at the unusually exquisite snacks on the plate, he couldn't help but swallow.
Gong Xu frowned. When he saw the snacks given by Wen Mingqian, he thought of the death of his eldest son.
“Don’t eat randomly,” he warned Gong Baoan. “Whatever you want to eat, go back to your grandma’s yard and eat it again.”
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(End of this chapter)