Even if there had been no mountains and rivers nearby, Fengzhou, the Wei Family’s hometown for hundreds of years, would also have been infected with the continuous cultural atmosphere. In addition, the Wei Family had been repairing buildings over the years. So there were many places to visit both inside and outside the city.
For example, the Little Bamboo Hill outside the city.
Although the Little Bamboo Hill by the post road and the Feng River was referred to as a hill, it was only about sixty feet high. It was covered with bamboo and people could enjoy the cool breeze even in the middle of summer.
But this Little Bamboo Hill was famous for being the retreat place of the former celebrity Wei Boyu rather than its flowing bamboo in Fengzhou and even at home.
Wei Boyu was a member of the collateral branch of the Wei Family in Fengzhou in the former dynasty. He was broad-minded and fascinated by calligraphy instead of being an official. When he became an adult, he lived in the Little Bamboo Hill and did not interact with outsiders. He remained unknown even at home. However, when he was over forty years old, the famous domestic minister Su Qi returned to his hometown. On the way back to Qingzhou, he passed Little Bamboo Hill. Due to the heavy rain, he went to the hill to find a shelter from the rain and met Wei Boyu who was in the hut on the hill.
It was because of Su Qi sheltering from the rain that Wei Boyu’s work, The Little Bamboo Hill, hanging in the hut became famous after Su Qi’s praise and spread, and he was regarded as the first calligrapher of cursive script in the former dynasty.
Wei Boyu loved calligraphy throughout his life, for which he never married. When he died, the hut on Little Bamboo Hill, The Little Bamboo Hill and his manuscripts were naturally returned to the family.
However, the Wei Family had prospered for hundreds of years, and had their own profound foundation and bearing. Therefore, in the previous dynasty, there was a Family Head ordering people to engrave The Little Bamboo Hill into a stele, standing on the mountainside of the Little Bamboo Hill, so that pedestrians could see Wei Boyu’s handwriting without having to pay their visits.
After all, there were few people who were qualified to go to the Wei Family to look at the manuscript of The Little Bamboo Hill, while there were many people who admired Wei Boyu’s calligraphy…. The Wei Family did this to facilitate the people of the world, and to make their own fame even better. The hut on this Little Bamboo Hill was repaired every year and still existed today. There were men of literature and writing who came thousands of miles to copy the inscriptions, and cherished the memory of ancestors before the hut.
Thanks to that Family Head, over time, this Little Bamboo Hill, which was neither high nor had unique scenery except for the flowing bamboo, had become a well-known hill in the country.
“My cousin, this is the inscription of The Little Bamboo Hill. It is said that it was made by a famous craftsman.” The day of July had already been the Beginning of Autumn, but not the Limit of Heat. The heat still existed in Fengzhou. The green bamboo on the Little Bamboo Hill spread all the way from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain, all the way to the post road. You felt cold after only a dozen steps following the path walked by the predecessors.
Between the mellow green bamboo, gentle stone steps meandered to a small platform on the mountainside.
This platform was paved with bluestones, and there was a white marble base near the cliff. It looked inconspicuous at first glance, but if you looked at it carefully, you would find it was carved from a block of white marble. Its shape was bamboo leaves, echoing the surrounding bamboo forest.
A granite with ten feet high and thirty feet long lay on the seat. This was a real stele with handwriting. This was exactly The Little Bamboo Hill that the ancestors of Wei Family ordered artisans to carve in the former dynasty.
It had been more than a hundred years since there was Wei Boyu. This stele still existed. And its base and other places were covered with moss. However, it was obvious that the writing on the stele was clear because it was often wiped by people. With a few bamboo leaves falling on it, it added the noble and elegant sense to the handwriting rather than felt being blocked.
With the green bamboo leaves in the brightness of the sun above, it seemed far away from the disturbance of the world. The wind came out of the sleeves. Everyone felt cool and refreshing and secretly admired that this was indeed a celebrity’s former residence. Although it was not a high mountain, it felt like a famous mountain.
After praising the place, everyone’s eyes fell on the stele.
The manuscript of The Little Hill was still in the Wei Family. Since the Family Head, Wei Huan, was their grandfather, Wei Changying and Wei Changfeng who accompanied the two sisters on a trip today, had seen the authentic work and been here to see the stele several years ago. So it was only Song Zaishui who was going to take a closer look at the stele today.
After an introduction to Song Zaishui, Wei Changying looked around and said, “Ah, what a coincidence today. There is no one here, and we can take down the curtained hat for a while.”
Although the young ladies were not forbidden to go out, such identities as Wei Changying and Song Zaishui, they were so proud of their background that they would wear curtained hat to cover their faces and prevent outsiders from seeing them. It was cool to walk in the bamboo forest until now, but it was still hot owing to the hair on their head and the veil of the curtained hat hanging to the breast.
Hearing that, Wei Changfeng waved his sleeves, and his retinues retreated distantly, leaving only the maidservants to serve. The chief maid stepped forward to serve them to remove the curtained hat and handed the handkerchief to wipe their sweat.
Wei Changying took the Agarwood drink from Lvfang and took a sip. Suddenly, she noticed that there was another man beside Wei Changfeng who had not retreated. It was a burly and vigorous man in his late teens and dressed in a blue embroidered silk suit with a Kora hanging from his waist, rather than an old servant who did not need to avoid.
The gentlefolks valued their reputation, so the servants around their lineal children were required to be as pretty as possible but couldn’t overshadow the master. This man was not noticed while there were some handsome guards around. Nevertheless, now that they had retreated to a distance, the man in blue stood out.
He stood behind Wei Changfeng and his expression was calm without squinting. He didn’t glance at Song Zaishui or Wei Changying, but Wei Changying frowned. She turned to Lvfang and asked in a low voice, “Who is that? Why didn’t he leave when everyone else was gone? Why so unruly!”
Lvfang was absorbed in serving Wei Changying and did not notice that one of the guards did not retreat. After seeing that the man in blue standing behind Wei Changfeng confidently, she suspected that this man did not retreat deliberately for he was arrogant after being favored by Wei Changfeng. However, Wei Changfeng didn’t scold him away when he knew that both sisters were going to take off their curtained hat. Both master and servant were wrong.
However, Wei Changfeng was already fifteen years old, instead of a child. He would feel guilty when he was scolded by his sister or reprimanded his servants in public. Lvfang was afraid Wei Changying would be angry and whispered hastily, “Let me ask Xinli.”
Xinli was the head of the close maidservant of Wei Changfeng. Because Wei Changfeng didn’t use the curtained hat and didn’t need a maidservant to serve, she was now sorting the hamper she had brought up the hill with three maidservants, Liuye, Yingtao and Shuixing, and picking out Wei Changfeng’s favorite fruit and cakes. She was surprised when she saw Lvfang who served Wei Changying came to herself at first. After listening, she laughed and whispered to her. Lvfang came back and told Wei Changying, “Miss, that’s not an outsider. He belongs to our Wei Family.”
There were many people in the Wei Family who had entered the lineal branch as guards. Although some people who were alienated were also the same family, except that they were allocated some food and money during festivals, they were no different from outsiders. Therefore, Lvfang continued, “It is the great-grandson of the old Duke Jingping’s brother, called Wei Qing. It is said that a few years ago he was favored by the Family Head, and was specially transferred to the Ruiyu Hall to serve as the close guard of the fifth young master.”
The old Duke Jingping was Wei Changying and Wei Changfeng’s lineal great-grandfather. His brother’s great-grandson was their peer. The great-grandfathers were brothers—except for the three branches in Ruiyu Hall; their relationship was closer.
After listening to this, Wei Changying softened her face. Then she looked at Wei Qing and said, “This cousin looks unfamiliar. Has he always been by Changfeng? I have never heard of him.”
Lvfang chuckled, “Maybe he’s been in the front yard and never been to the back yard?”
“It’s no wonder that he didn’t retreat for he was chosen by grandfather and one of our family members. I think grandfather has told him not to be too far away.” Wei Changying looked around. There was full of green bamboo floating with wind. She felt that there would be no danger here, but maybe Wei Qing wanted this opportunity to show his devotion to duty?
She no longer struggled with Wei Qing’s matter, and concentrated on drinking the Agarwood drink in her hand.
At this time, Song Zaishui also returned to her and said pointing to the Agarwood drink, “Give me a drink, too.”
Wei Changying wondered, “Are you finished?”
“I’m not a cursive script learner and not good at it,” Song Zaishui took a sip, and said faintly, “Just have a look. Even if you watch it more, you will not get much benefit from it so as to make a rapid progress.”
Mrs. Song had said that Song Zaishui could do whatever she wanted to do on this trip, as long as it was not against her or the Wei Family. Wei Changying said, “Are you going anywhere else today? For example, …”
Song Zaishui wondered before she listed the scenery to be prepared next, “I haven’t gone to Wei Boyu’s old house yet!”
“The hut is just above, but what’s so good about it?” Wei Changying was surprised, “It’s an ordinary hut, which is similar to our garden.”
Song Zaishui wiped her chin with a handkerchief and said, “I just want to see this hut.”
“…” Wei Changying glanced at her quite speechlessly. In the past 100 years, many people from all over the world came to Little Bamboo Hill and cherished the memory of Wei Boyu before the hut, but the most important thing was to observe the inscription of The Little Bamboo Hill. Song Zaishui put the cart before the horse.
However…
Madam Song said that she could only indulge her niece only those days before she married.
Now Song Zaishui’s request was understandable even if it was absurd.
What’s more, she was now in the Little Bamboo Hill.
The hut where Wei Boyu lived in the past was built near the top of the mountain. Like Wei Changying said, this was just a very ordinary hut with three yellow mud huts lined up in a row, which was supposed to be the place where Wei Boyu lived.
To the south of these three huts, there was a narrow house connected by corridors on the east and west sides, which should be used by servants. A fence was standing in front of the hut, and morning glory was wrapped around it. At this time, it had already bloomed and closed, drooping between the fence.
Next to the hut, there was a fountain trickling down, and it was led to a vegetable plot by a ditch. The vegetable plot was not large, but there were still some vegetables on it. Wei Changying, Song Zaishui and Wei Changfeng were all pampered. Although they were curious about seeing the vegetable plot for the first time, after looking for a long time, they only recognized the eggplant and were not sure for the others. Three of them tacitly turned their heads without saying a word, for fear of saying something wrong and making a joke.
Such a crowd would disturb the watchman. Before they reached the fence, they saw an old servant dressed in black come round the back of the hut, flapping the dust from his body and coming quickly. Seeing the female people, although Song Zaishui and Wei Changying had put on the curtained hat, the old servant was still afraid to approach. He stopped seven or eight steps away and made a bow afar. Wei Changfeng had ordered while he was about to speak, “The two sisters admired Wei Boyu’s aspiration and came to pay special respects. You don’t have to be polite and can leave.”
Although the old servant had been staying in the hut for many years, he also knew Wei Changfeng and Wei Changying. He knew that they were the treasure of the Family Head and the old Madam. He did not dare to neglect. He saluted back and said respectfully, “I’ll obey your command. Although the hut has been cleaned, I am a vulgar person. If you want to come in, I am afraid you will have to trouble your close servants to clean again.”
“I see. You can leave.” Wei Changfeng nodded. The three of them went out with many servants. Since the close servants were all there, of course, there was no reason to let the old watchman serve them. After the old servant was dismissed, Wei Changfeng turned to Song Zaishui and said, “Cousin, do you want to enter the house?”
Song Zaishui reached out and touched her hat, “Let’s sit in for a while.”
Her voice was a little breathless. After all, she was a pampered young lady. This Little Bamboo Hill was not high and the trail was smooth. But there were hundreds of steps to walk here along the stone steps. Wei Changfeng was a young man and Wei Changying had the better physical strength than her younger brother due to learning martial arts from a young age. Compared to them, Song Zaishui seemed weak.
Wei Changfeng noticed and told, “Go in and see it.”
The old servant was sent to guard the hut here and ordered to clean the hut up every day. And he had said that it was cleaned in the morning. But Song Zaishui and Wei Changying belonged to extremely delicate people. Of course, the cleaning of an old servant could not reassure them. Therefore, several chief maids went in and cleaned the utensils again with servants. Then they came out and asked the three to enter.