“Brother, you are writing…?”
“This is a poem!”
“You…I mean, what words are these?”
“Calligraphy.”
“Your calligraphy…I’ve never seen this way of writing before. Is this a new type of font?”
When Lu Yuan blew on the ink to dry them, Xu Xiaonian’s eyes were wide open as he stared at the words on the paper. He hesitated for a long time before he asked the question.
Lu Yuan’s calligraphy was very ‘stylish’, as chaotic as snakes and dragons. It looked extremely messy.
Xu Xiaonian took in a deep breath and exhaled.
Such a calligraphy style made him feel as though he just saw a ghost. He looked at it for a very long time before he saw the word ‘farmer’.
He didn’t know why, but at this moment, there were millions of grass mud horses galloping through his heart. In fact, he even began to doubt how Lu Yuan managed to answer the couplet…
“Cough, cough… Actually, I only know how to write nicely using a pen. I’m not that proficient in brush calligraphy…that’s why my words are a little slovenly…” Lu Yuan glanced at his own poem, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face.
This expression was a little stiff.
“This poem of yours…” Xu Xiaonian glanced at the surroundings and looked at those who were pondering deeply while biting their brushes or scribbling rapidly on their xuan papers. He cast another glance at Lu Yuan who looked completely free from pressure. This caused even more grass mud horses to gallop through Xiaonian’s heart…
Although he couldn’t tell what the hell Lu Yuan was writing, from Lu Yuan’s relaxed expression, he felt that the words were definitely nothing good.
“Cough, cough… Actually, I also don’t have much talent and don’t really know how to write a poem. Hence, I casually wrote something… Eh, brother are you not going to write one? Why are you looking at me…?” Lu Yuan coughed lightly. He increasingly felt that the words he wrote were truly ugly.
“Ah, right… I’ve forgotten about myself.” Xu Xiaonian was shocked awake by Lu Yuan’s words. He hurriedly focused and began to ponder about his own poem.
Lu Yuan pretended to seriously look at his own words, but he was sneakily trying to see the words others had written…
When comparing them, he suddenly felt his confidence being impacted!
Forget it…
He did write out all of it in one go, but the things he wrote out…
What the shit was this?
A ghost doodling?
Could it even be shown?
Lu Yuan opened his eyes wide, but he couldn’t even recognize any of this dog-shit stuff…
If he handed up this joke of a poem…
Wouldn’t he lose face all the way to his granny’s house?
He shook his head. After rolling up the first paper he had written on, he dipped his brush in ink again while secretly copying Xu Xiaonian’s way of holding the brush. He rewrote his poem slowly. But when Lu Yuan seriously started to write, he discovered that his speed of writing was very slow.
When Lu Yuan reached the mid-way mark, there were already people handing up their papers…
He looked at those people before glancing at the words he wrote. He ultimately sighed.
How could one’s calligraphy improve in the span of a few minutes?
It was indeed ugly-looking, but at the very least… the words written were clear enough, right?
They were only competing in poetry and not how nice the calligraphy was, correct?
But what if they also took the calligraphy into account?
Should he write another poem then?
The quality of words was not beautiful enough, so should he make up for it in quantity?
(In any case, I did a check and no one wrote these two poems before. Even if I wrote them, no one would know.)
(Mn… Should I be shameless or not? Damn, I can’t be so shameless!)
Lu Yuan glanced at the others. He eventually gritted his teeth and decided that he might as well go all-out. He wrote another poem at the blank space of the xuan paper.
(How can I be so shameless after all? I’m a plagiarizer! What a sinful person I am!)
Lu Yuan criticized himself for a long time.
……
“Mn, Dao Yuting’s calligraphy looks courageous and strong. Although she is a female, the words she wrote are extremely domineering. This [Busy Farming Season] is also very well written. Good, good… As expected from someone who began studying literature at a young age. I feel that this poem can be rated 8.5 points.”
“I feel that although the vigor of strokes in her calligraphy isn’t bad and the words rhyme, it lacks ‘flavor’. It seems a little too lively and romantic. I don’t like the feelings this poem inspires. I suggest 8.4 instead.”
“Hmm…i think 8.3 is more appropriate. After all, the poem has lost its ‘flavor’.”
“Shen Rong’s [In the Field] is a modern poem containing the style of the current era. I feel we can give him 8.8 points. The moral of the poem isn’t bad.”
“Why an 8.8?”
“Haha, poems that can get above 8.8 would be something all of us old fellows approve of. Last year, the poem [Sky] managed to obtain this score. I feel that the modern poetry [In the Field] still lacks something. What do you think, Little Xi?”
“Mn, there are a few flaws in the text. The meaning is okay, but it emphasized too much on feelings… I would give it an 8.7.”
“Hehe, you are even stricter than us, old fellows. Haha!”
“Mn? Check out this poem, it isn’t bad. But who is the one who wrote it? Was it written by Ma Runzhi?”
“Ma Runzhi? That gifted scholar of Yan University?”
“Yea, this young man is exceptionally talented. His [Farmland]’s had sufficient meaning and concept. I think 8.9 is a fair score.”
“8.9? It’s quite high, right…?”
“Look.”
“Oh, not bad, it’s really not bad. I will give it 8.9 too. This poem can be considered an outstanding work. Old Li, are you not compiling poems and literary works from modern eras? I feel that this poem can enter your book.”
“I think so too. Let’s give it 8.9 then. His calligraphy causes my heart to lighten when I see the words. It’s excellent.”
………
After the last person handed up his poem, everyone stared at the judging panel ahead.
They could see the old fellows either discussing with each other, sinking into contemplation, or sighing as they were deeply moved.
All of the contestants were filled with trepidation in their hearts.
To them, the monetary reward was nothing. The valuable thing was the evaluation and admiration of these old fellows.
These old men could be considered the cornerstones of China’s literature world. All of them were existences the students looked up to. What was more important was that one of the old men was named Li Guonan, someone who was currently writing a [Poetry Anthology of the Modern Era]. If someone’s work could enter his book, it would mean that they would be famous and could posture in the literature circle.
“Brother, do you feel very nervous now?”
“Still okay.”
“Eh, then are you looking for something?” Xu Xiaonan cast a strange look at Lu Yuan’s hands.
“No…” Lu Yuan drew in a deep breath and placed his hands honestly on the table.
He was searching for cigarettes out of habit. He clearly knew he hadn’t purchased any, but he subconsciously made the motion of searching his pockets.
In this situation, not smoking was something lonesome to Lu Yuan.
After all, waiting was lonely.
When Lu Yuan glanced at the direction of the judges, he saw an old man smoking while reading the xuan papers, and Lu Yuan felt a surge of envy in his heart. In fact, he even felt the impulse of heading over to that old man to get a cigarette.
“Brother, you really want it, right?” Xu Xiaonian stared at Lu Yuan.
“How did you know?”
“Naturally, because I also want to!”
“Oh? Can we go up the stage?”
“How can we go up the stage? We can only wait.”
“Can what we want wait?”
“Why can’t it wait?”
“Will he come over to give us cigarettes?”
“???” Xu Xiaonian, who originally had a face filled with anticipation, almost fell out of his seat when he heard Lu Yuan’s words. When he turned his head and looked at Lu Yuan again, his balls were aching. “Give us cigarettes? You…you…”
“Wait, are we talking about the same topic or not?” Lu Yuan felt somewhat innocent.
“I’m hoping that my poem can enter his book…what are you thinking of?”
“I want to get him to spare me a cigarette. My addiction is kicking in…” Lu Yuan coughed softly. He felt an unbearable feeling as though the skin on his face was about to peel off.
“…” Xu Xiaonian instantly felt his vision turning dark.
What the hell!
………
“These words are really… is there someone among us whose calligraphy is that bad?”
“Lu Yuan? Mn? [Sympathy for Peasants]?
“Two poems? Isn’t it too exaggerated? Did he want to use quantity to make up for his ugly calligraphy?
“Hoeing grains in the blaze of noon.”
“Eh… Each seed that’s sown in spring?”
“What!”
“Bang!”
“This…”
“This is…”
At the venue, the sound of a judge smacking his palms on the table rang out.
Old Li who was smoking suddenly stood up. His eyes widened, and he was overwhelmed with shock!
Note:
悯农 [Sympathy for Peasants]”
This poem can be split into two parts, both were written by a poet named Li Shen from the Tang Dynasty
For those who are keen, you can find the english translation here:
https://www.trainchinese.com/v2/wordDiscForWebsite.php?rAp=0&wordId=116399&tcLanguage=en
