Chapter Fourteen: A Generation of Talented People, Poor and Sick at the End of Life
Deng Zhixin
fifty
Back at Peach Blossom Wood, although the parting time was not long, Tang Bohu had a sense of reunion after a long time. The home he and Jiu Niang built together made him have mixed feelings, and after escaping from death, he couldn't imagine that he could come back alive and see his home, and Tang Bohu burst into tears. He opened the doors and windows, ventilated and breathable, picked up the broom and swept the floor, carrying buckets of water to scrub everywhere, while scrubbing, thinking of the Ninth Lady. Taking advantage of the sunset and the evening breeze, he took the paper and quickly went to the tomb of Jiu Niang to burn it, telling her that she had gone to the Jiangxi Palace for an adventure and had returned safely, so that Jiu Niang could rest assured underground. Then go home and lie in bed, thinking about what to do next.
Forty-four-year-old Tang Bohu was actually not old, but in his heart he felt old, and his bumpy experience and nine deaths seemed to have walked a lot more than others. He wanted to rely on his own talents to support his family, and his beloved wife, Jiu Niang, starved to death, and she left the hope of life to herself and her daughter, and kept death to herself; he wanted to enter the palace by decree, and he could not live a few days of stability and quiet days by relying on his own talents, and he almost lost his life. Isn't there no place for the heavens and the earth to live and die? Thinking about it, Tang Bohu came to the conclusion that all pursuits are not decided by individuals, and that providence in the world has already determined their own destiny. Of course, Tang Bohu also had something gratifying in his heart, that is, he still had his only biological daughter Qiao daughter, as well as brothers, nephews, and nieces, all of whom were flesh and blood of the Tang family and descendants of the Tang family, and their hopes were pinned on them. In addition, Tang Bohu felt that the front was a vast and very empty place, and his heart was struggling to find someone to talk to. In the "Four Talents of Jiangnan", Xu Chanqing died young, Zhu Zhishan's brother failed to pass the seventh meeting, his son Zhu Continued to pass the previous examination, Zhu Brother had to not take the examination, he went to the election of officials by virtue of his name, he has been awarded The County of Xingning County, The capital of Huizhou, Zhejiang, and his affairs are busy and he has rarely returned. Another talent, Wen Zhengming, was recommended as a "Xiucai" Gongsheng, entered Hanlin to do a pending move, and did not have time to come back. There are also some friends who are not talented, such as zhang Ling, the rich man, who was friends with himself when he was young, and did not want to die of favoritism a few years ago, and was buried underground with his lover Cui Ying...
Tang Bohu repeatedly thought about these people, whether they are famous or not, everyone yearns for a lifetime, pursues a lifetime, but in the end they all have to return to Huangquan, what is the use of people fighting for this lifetime? At this time, Tang Bohu also remembered a passage in the famous "Six Ru Wei" in the Diamond Sutra translated by the Qin dynasty after the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: "Everything that has a way, such as a dream bubble, such as dew and electricity, should be viewed as such." "What do you mean?" According to Tang Bohu's understanding, the six-character phenomenon of dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dews, and electricity mentioned in this passage shows that everything in the world is empty and impermanent, which verifies the "four great emptiness" said by the Buddhists. Thinking of this, Tang Bohu decided that from now on, when he was living in Taohua'an, he would call himself "Six Ru LayMen"! This "six ru" is probably like the above six-word concept. Since then, Tang Bohu's nickname of "converting to buddhism and calling himself Six Ru" has been known far and wide. So how will the days ahead be? The harsh reality has told him that it is not enough to rely on relatives and friends to help, everything must be worked on its own, each family has its own difficulties, each family has a difficult scripture, he knows that the only resource he can control himself is to continue to write and sell paintings for a living, although the physical strength is not as good as those who climbed mountains and waded in the past, but the landscape and characters in the hometown can also write and paint, there is no calligraphy and painting house, it does not matter, some people always have some connections, can mix a food and clothing This wish is enough! In Tang Bohu's view, there is a more important thing, that is, to compile a "Collection of Six RuJushi", to recall the poems and travelogues created in the past life, to collect them in the collection, there is no money to print, but it can be left as a legacy to future generations, but it is also a matter of heart. The plan was decided, to sell calligraphy and paintings on the street during the day, and to go home at night to write a collection of poems, for Tang Bohu, this was the last wish, and it was also an explanation for the afterlife.
The next day, Tang Bohu carried a calligraphy and painting bag, and walked out of the house as before, walking through the streets and alleys, lingering between the landscapes and rivers. At this time, he wielded his animation pen, which was no longer as repeatedly measured as in the previous long-range, medium-range and close-up, and the pen was exquisite, pursuing perfection, but only working the close-up, only drawing some vague outlines on the long-range, but painting the close-up scene vividly and movingly. This kind of painting method does not affect the perception of the picture at all, but is more intriguing and associative, just like his life in his later years, letting go of the lofty ideal of nothingness, focusing on making a living in front of the eyes, making people look at a few more sighs, a few more sadness. His "Nostalgia of the Autumn Wind" only painted two willow trees, one straight and one oblique, and was cut off by the strong wind, still struggling in the wind. The lonely coat of arms walking between the mountain roads in the picture is overwhelmed by the cool breeze, which makes people can't help but be sad to see. Another of his paintings, "Linliu Seeking Sentence Diagram", also has a similar pictorial meaning: in the hazy distant mountains, an ancient pine on the right side is slightly drooping, and on the left is a Gaoshi sitting alone on the rock wall, facing the empty mountains, sighing endless vicissitudes!
These two paintings, Tang Bohu, were sold on the street against the wall, and were quickly snapped up by two cultured elders. They have also collected many paintings of Tang Bohu in the past, and this time before and after the purchase, they believe that seeing paintings is like seeing people, and the Gaoshi in the painting, whether walking or sitting alone, symbolizes Tang Bohu himself, although the painting style has changed, the painting bones are still there. Although the picture is not like the mountains and mountains of the past, elegant and steep, the landscape figures painted appear plain and simple, and the look is moving, which shows that Tang Bohu is still indomitable in his struggle against the world despite the hardships. Of course, ordinary citizens do not have such a profound appreciation ability, they love Tang Bohu's calligraphy and paintings, there are many people who come to admire, out of a few copper coins, please Tang Bohu casually paint a picture, sign a name and return satisfied. There are familiar neighbors, that is, there is no money, ask Tang Bohubai for a calligraphy and painting, And Tang Bohu also gives. He believed that since he had taken refuge in the Buddha, he should be kind, and that these old neighbors had helped him more than once when his life was difficult.
Under the care of old customers, although the year is still not optimistic, Tang Bohu's calligraphy and paintings can still sell out, and his personal life can still be maintained, but can the days really make Tang Bohu feed and clothe as desired? Tell you that you can't, the harsh reality always forces Tang Bohu to a dead end again and again. In the fifth year of Tang Bohu's return from Jiangxi, that is, the fourteenth year of Ming Zhengde (1519), one day he walked towards Huqiu Mountain, originally preparing to climb the Yunyan Temple at the top of Tiger Hill, looking for some new creative materials, not wanting to climb not far, suddenly panting, coughing, his eyes were black, and he actually rolled down the hillside and fainted. What's going on? Is Tang Bohu's life in danger?