Wu Yantian and Wu Chuan stood in front of the words, which were written in Li Chenchan's running script, almost penetrating the paper!
Li Chenchan's own calligraphy wasn't great, but in this timeline, his body had a decently good handwriting, which naturally became his.
In this running script, it presented a perfect image of a youthful and vigorous young man to Wu Chuan and Wu Yantian!
Wu Chuan and Wu Yantian could both feel the powerful aura contained within.
Indeed, this was the Li Chenchan who wrote "Waves Washing Sand: Beidaihe"!
Before them was still a poem.
The poem's title was different, not "Waves Washing Sand" or "Joyful Swallow," but the "Qinyuan Chun" created in the late Tang Dynasty.
Directly below the title was his poem.
"Standing alone in the cold autumn, the Xiang River flows north, and the Orange Isle stands at its head.
Looking at the mountains all red, the layers of forests are dyed; the river is crystal clear, and a hundred boats race.
Eagles strike the vast sky, fish swim in the shallow bottom, and all things in the frosty sky compete for freedom.
Feeling melancholy in the vast expanse, I ask the boundless earth, who will rule its rise and fall?
I have brought many friends to tour, recalling the thick years of the past.
Just like young students, in the prime of our youth; full of scholarly spirit, we wield our pens with vigor.
Pointing to the mountains and rivers, we write with passion, regarding the marquises of old as mere dirt.
Do you remember, striking the water in the middle of the stream, stopping the boat with the waves?"
Wu Yantian looked at Li Chenchan with a stunned gaze...
This poem might not be better than "Waves Washing Sand: Beidaihe," but it was more suitable for this book... and it fit almost perfectly!
In this historical novel, the Great Ancestor studied under Wang Kaiyun and read books at the Xiangqi Tower.
How many great figures came from Wang Kaiyun's disciples? Li Yunxiao, Yang Du, Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, Qi Baishi... At that time, a group of teachers and students happened to meet Wang Kaiyun returning to Central South, teaching in the apricot grove, reciting books in the Zhuo Si River, enjoying the peach blossoms of the Xiang River in spring, and the red leaves of Lushan in autumn, debating and discussing with Master Xiangqi, talking about the rise and fall of thousands of years through the night...
In this historical novel, it focused on several times when Li Yunxiao and some classmates traveled from Xiangtan to Nansha, coming to the Orange Isle to see the bleak autumn scenery, feeling their mindset change, and each time, the Great Ancestor's mindset was different.
And these events matched this poem so well!
"Looking at the mountains all red, the layers of forests are dyed; the river is crystal clear, and a hundred boats race." These lines described the scenery to perfection. The mountains were all red, the clear river water, and countless boats shuttled... This scene was described so vividly, making one feel as if standing on the Orange Isle, seeing this scene unfold before their eyes, and feeling the grandeur of nature.
The finishing touch was the line "Feeling melancholy in the vast expanse, I ask the boundless earth, who will rule its rise and fall!"
This line's momentum instantly rose from the lower level to the upper level, from the bottom of the pyramid to the pinnacle, standing at the highest point...
Indeed, in others' eyes, the Great Ancestor at that time already had a vague grand ambition, already questioning who would rule the rise and fall!
This was very consistent with the Great Ancestor's mindset at that time.
Further down, "I have brought many friends to tour, recalling the thick years of the past. Just like young students, in the prime of our youth; full of scholarly spirit, we wield our pens with vigor. Pointing to the mountains and rivers, we write with passion, regarding the marquises of old as mere dirt." These lines were the most impressive part for Wu Yantian!
These lines vividly portrayed the scholarly spirit of the Great Ancestor at that time.
One could see the Great Ancestor and his companions, in their youth, full of vigor, talent, and passion. Here, it borrowed the imagery from "Zhuangzi: Tian Zifang" of "The supreme person looks up to the blue sky, dives into the yellow spring, wields the eight extremities, and remains unchanged in spirit," fully revealing the broad-mindedness of those young students.
"Like young students... like young students..."
Wu Yantian muttered these words, as if an electric current struck his mind, making him suddenly alert and thinking of so many things in a short moment.
And the scholarly spirit, the vigor, and the passion for the mountains and rivers, expressed the youthful and spirited mindset of the young people so thoroughly.
Regarding the marquises of old as mere dirt, who wasn't like that in their youth?
This passage almost described the Great Ancestor's mindset in his youth, as well as the grand ambitions and youthful recklessness of the young Great Ancestor in this historical novel.
It also had a feeling similar to Qi Jiguang's "Sealing a marquis is not my intention, I only wish for the sea to be calm."
The young people of that era in China were both radical and worried, concerned about the declining state of the country, concerned about everything, not necessarily seeking to establish great achievements, but hoping for the country to truly become strong.
The last few lines need not be explained, as they引用了祖狄中流击楫的典故...
The entire poem's grand momentum was hidden beneath the surface, not as expansive as "Waves Washing Sand: Beidaihe" after the sparks spread, but it added a few more touches of the beautiful and spirited youth.
All of this matched the intentions portrayed in the book and the Great Ancestor of that era, making one applaud in admiration!
"Amazing!"
At this moment, Wu Yantian had long forgotten his previous awkwardness towards Li Chenchan and instead became excited: "Chenchan, is this also your work?"
Li Chenchan was not embarrassed about this: "Yes... I wrote it before. I feel it matches the atmosphere of your book, so I apologize for any shortcomings."
Wu Chuan and Wu Yantian looked at each other, and after a moment, Wu Chuan angrily said: "You say you apologize for such a poem? Are you slapping my face?"
Li Chenchan hurriedly laughed and said he didn't dare, while Wu Chuan pretended to hum, but his heart was filled with admiration.
He was also more excited, as he was the one who introduced Li Chenchan to Wu Yantian. Li Chenchan's talent and ambition, coming from Rongcheng No.1 High School, made Wu Chuan feel especially proud.
Wu Yantian was now completely immersed in the poem. After a long time, he lifted his head with a hint of resentment, muttering to himself: "Why wasn't such a fitting poem written by me..."
This feeling was truly heart-wrenching.
When Gu Long saw Yu Dafu's "Once drunk, I whipped a famous horse, fearing that too much emotion would burden a beautiful woman," he must have felt the same way—damn it, why wasn't this poem written by me?!
But Wu Yantian soon lifted his head from his depression, looking at Li Chenchan with a serious expression, and said: "Chenchan, can this poem be used as the preface for my book?"
"Of course," Li Chenchan smiled. "I wrote this poem for your book."
Wu Yantian's mouth curved into a delighted smile...
PS: Thank you to the generous supporters: Zao Wan Cheng Dashen, Tang Xiaosheng, Canque de Ren, Xiang Dang Bing Le, Zui Ai An Ge, Situ Siwu.
Thank you to Mo Ruo Aishang and Guai Shushu for the 588 RMB donations.