Lin Yutang's "Biography of Su Dongpo" describes in detail the interaction between Su Dongpo and his friends, which is quite interesting.
In his life, Su Dongpo once enjoyed the infinite scenery of being an official, and he also tasted the sloppy hardships in the border countryside, but no matter where he was or what situation he was in, the only thing he did not lack was his friend.
He once said to his younger brother, Ziyu: I can accompany the Jade Emperor on the top, and I can accompany the beggars in the Beitianyuan. In my eyes, there is not a single person in the world who is not a good person.
Officials and friends: The eunuch sea rises and falls "enemies and friends" coexist
Zhang Fangping, who was a high official in Kyoto, can be said to be the first friend of the Su father and son after they arrived in Kyoto, and they also entered the political arena through Zhang Fangping's introduction. Zhang Fangping is a very good friend, in order to recommend Su Xun, he also wrote a letter of recommendation to Ouyang Xiu, who was not very happy with himself.
After that, Zhang Fangping was also like a strict father to Su Dongpo, taking great care of and loving him. In Su Dongpo, his younger brother, Chen Zhou, who had once served in chenzhou, also lived here, and Zhang Fangping, who had retired from the official field, also lived here. Su Dongpo's place of office is not far from ChenZhou, and he often stays here with his brother for a long time. Therefore, the three of them often made dinner and drank.
Zhang Fangping's alcohol intake is very large, and he often drinks a lot without getting drunk, but Su Dongpo does not envy his good alcohol. He said to Zhang Fangping: "Although I only drank one glass of wine, I was the same as you from the realm of drinking." Su Dongpo also maintained contact with Zhang Fangping during his later exile and exchanged his health experience with him.
At that time, the literary overlord Ouyang Xiu could be described as Su Dongpo's Bole. When he was the chief examiner, he greatly appreciated Su Dongpo's article and passed it on to his peers for several days. However, because he thought that this article was written by his friend Zeng Gong, in order to avoid suspicion, he listed this article as the second place. His appreciation of Su Shi was known to the world at that time, and Su Dongpo became famous and became famous as a teenager.
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Perhaps because of the appearance of Su Dongpo, Ouyang Xiu suddenly said to his son one day that after 30 years, no one would mention the old man again. Sure enough, after Ouyang Xiu, Su Dongpo became a sought after literary leader. After Su Dongpo's death, no one mentioned Ouyang Xiu again.
Su Dongpo was also full of knowledge and kindness to Ouyang Xiu. He once remembered Ouyang Xiu so much in a poem he wrote to his brother: he was worried and white, and he didn't see Liu Yi Weng. Among them, Liu Yi Weng is Ouyang Xiu.
Sima Guang and Fan Zhen were also Su Dongpo's close friends in the official arena. Although Su Dongpo also quarreled with Sima Guang over different opinions, and even went home to call Sima Guang "Sima Niu" directly at his concubine Chaoyun, they did have the same disposition, they were all upright and frank people, and they were never right about things.
Sima Guang, Fan Zhen, and Su Dongpo were loyal comrades-in-arms who fought side by side against Wang Anshi's New Deal. When Wang Anshi's relatives falsely accused the Su Dongpo brothers of using their power to buy porcelain relics and sell illegal salt when they returned home for their father's coffin, Sima Guang vigorously defended Su Dongpo in front of the emperor.
When it comes to friends in Su Dongpo's official field, Zhang Huan is a person who cannot be avoided. This person was initially considered a friend of Su Dongpo, but after that, this "old friend" became the person who almost killed Su Dongpo.
Zhang Huan was a friend that Su Dongpo had known since he was a young official. He is talented, bold and generous, and such a person naturally can easily win Su Dongpo's heart. But the experience of a trip made Su Dongpo see this person's personality at that time.
During a trip together, Su Dongpo and Zhang Huan encountered a mountain stream. There is only a small plank of wood on the mountain stream. Guo Huan had a sudden idea and invited Su Dongpo to walk over from the wooden board and write an inscription on the opposite rock. Su Dongpo refused. Looking at the abyss of a hundred feet under your feet, this is almost a joke with your own life. But I didn't expect Zhang Huan to walk over alone and write down the big characters "Su Shi Zhang Travels Here" on the rock.
Zhang Huan's risky behavior made Su Dongpo deeply feel the terrible thing about this person. "You're going to kill people later." Su Dongpo said to his friend. Because in his opinion, those who dare to risk their lives must also dare to kill.
Sure enough, after that, Zhang Huan became a vicious politician, frantically retaliating against his political enemies. It was he who relegated Su Dongpo to Danzhou, bent on putting Su Dongpo to death.
After Su Dongpo was pardoned and returned to the interior in his later years, Zhang Yuan's son Zhang Yuan, was well aware of the crimes his father had committed against Su Dongpo and was very afraid that Su Dongpo would retaliate against him. He wrote a long letter to Su Dongpo, and in his heart he was sure to be able to get Su Dongpo's forgiveness. However, Su Dongpo's reply to him relieved himself and Zhang Huan of their enmity.
"A certain person and Xiang Xiang have been friends for more than forty years, although the middle provenance is slightly different, although the intermediate provenance is slightly different, the friendship has not increased or lost anything." Such words show the greatness of Su Dongpo's personality.
Wen You: Elegant things and interesting things are evocative
Su Dongpo became famous at a young age, with amazing talent, bold personality, full of vitality and enthusiasm for making friends, Su Dongpo became the leader of the literary circle at that time and also a national idol. Around him, surrounded by many famous talents and beauties, the famous Huang Tingjian, Qin Guan, and Mi Fu are his "little fans". Huang Tingjian, Qin Guan, Zhang Qi, and Chao Shu were known as the Four Scholars of Sumen.
During the reign of Emperor Zhezong, during the reign of Empress Yingzong, Su Dongpo had a beautiful period as an official in Kyoto. During his time in Kyoto, he interacted with many dignitaries and scholars, writing poems and paintings, and talking about wine. There was a very famous gathering that was attached to the donkey king milling. Su Dongpo, Su Zhi, Wang Gong, Su Men, Mi Fu, Chen Yu, etc., can be described as a group of talents.
One can imagine how intoxicating it is for such a great and interesting group of people to gather together to drink wine, or to recite poems, or to splash ink and add the pleasure of good people. This gathering is also recorded as the "West Garden Collection".
Su Dongpo is interesting, and his friends are also interesting people. After Su Dongpo returned to Kyoto from Huangzhou, he often bragged to his friend Qian Xun about how much he enjoyed the simple life in the countryside, eating only white rice, radish and clear soup.
One day, Qian Xun invited Su Dongpo to the palace to attend the "Three Whites" banquet. There were only three meals coming up—a bowl of white rice, a plate of turnips, and a small bowl of clear soup. At this time, Su Dongpo realized that he had been tricked.
Later, Su Dongpo also invited Qian Xun to the palace for dinner, known as the "Sanmao Meal". Qian Xun went to Su Dongpo Mansion to take a seat, and after waiting for half a day, he was hungry and did not find any food coming up. At this time, Su Dongpo told him that this was the Sanmao meal: Mao Rice, Mao Radish, and Mao Qing Soup. Qian Xun realized that he had been retaliated against by Su Dongpo.
After teasing each other, the two good friends reconciled as before and went to eat a big meal with each other.
While in Hangzhou, Su Dongpo met a friend, the Buddha Seal. Although he was a monk, he was not forced to be a monk. Buddha Yin is a dashing and flowing nature, likes to have fun the most, and is also very witty and intelligent. Because of one of the emperor's persuasions, he was forced to become a monk, but he still went his own way, and often had a group of retinues accompanying him everywhere to play.
Once, he and Su Dongpo were talking about the two words monk and bird. Su Dongpo said, why are there monks and birds in many poems? It is intended to be a joke about the Buddha seal. Who knows, the Buddha's words perfectly shook back: This is also like why I am facing you. The great talent Su Dongpo also has a time when "stealing chicken does not become erosion of rice".
Strange Friends: Monks and friends are strange and strange
Su Dongpo studied Buddhism and Taoism, and was once addicted to the Taoist art of alchemy and immortality. As a result, he also got to know many strange monks and Taoists. For example, the poet monk Samson, the Taoist monk Wu Retro, the 130-year-old Qiao Tong and so on.
In the trajectory of Su Dongpo's life, Wu Retro appeared several times. It's just that Su Dongpo is forced to move, dragged around by the power of power, while the Taoist priest Wu Retro is really at ease, and everything is at will. Wu retro is like a crane in the clouds, which should make Su Dongpo very envious. And Su Dongpo is also very happy with such characters.
Lu Weiqian, another Taoist friend of Su Dongpo, can also walk with his heart and move with his nature. Once, just because Su Dongpo wrote to him and told him that he had found the excellent wine "Guijiu", he would definitely not fail to live up to him. Unexpectedly, he really ran thousands of miles to Huizhou in the southern wasteland and accompanied Su Dongpo to drink cinnamon wine. Isn't it nice that life is so free!
Qiao Tong is a more legendary figure. It is said that when he met Su Dongpo, he was 130 years old. He loves to walk with birds and beasts. Previously resurrected from the grave. After that, he was once kicked and died of a donkey. Unexpectedly, a few years later, Su Dongpo's younger brother Yu heard from a monk that he knew Su Dongpo when he was in Huangzhou, and the monk who said this looked like Qiao Tong. When some curious people heard about it, they dug up Qiao Tong's tomb and looked at it, and were surprised to find that the body had disappeared, leaving only a crutch and two tibias.
Poor friends: Life is self-indulgent
Although Su Dongpo had served as a high official in the DPRK and was also a great literary hero who could be called an idol of the whole people, he did not have any shelf at all. During his exile, he also made friends with his neighbors in the countryside.
While in Huangzhou, Su Dongpo befriended Pan Liquor Supervisor, Guo Yaoshi, Huge Fu and Farmer Gu Mou, as well as an arrogant mother-in-law with a loud voice.
While in Huizhou, he became friends with his neighbor Zhai Xiucai and Mrs. Lin, an old woman who brewed wine. Because Mrs. Lin was often able to let Su Dongpo drink on credit, after that, although she left Huizhou, Su Dongpo still remembered Mrs. Lin's friendship and always sent her gifts.
In Danzhou, Su Dongpo became good friends with the local Taishou Zhangzhong. Zhang Zhong also thought that he had embezzled public funds to repair Su Dongpo's residence and was dismissed from his post.
Danzhou people are simple and simple, Su Dongpo and the local honest readers, Pifu village women interact with each other, and his family has guests visiting every day. When Li hunters catch deer, they will also hang a piece of venison at the door and give it to Su Dongpo.
Su Dongpo likes to take an earth dog around to "walk around the village" and chat with the villagers and wild elders under the betel nut tree. When these simple farmers said to the great literary man that they did not know what to say, he asked him to tell him ghost stories and listened to them with relish. Su Dongpo's interaction with friends is not necessarily only composing poetry and chanting, but also talking about home.
In his lifetime, Su Dongpo made countless friends, including many nobles who helped him, many fans who admired him and followed him, and political enemies who almost put him to death. But no matter whether these people are good or evil, whether they are poor or lowly, Su Dongpo can be honest with each other.
Su Dongpo does not hate people. He is too busy discovering the beauty and goodness of human nature to leave all entanglements behind even for the wicked. This is the beauty of human nature that Su Dongpo shows us.
In this world, a lot of suffering and hatred comes from human relationships, and a lot of pleasure and warmth also comes from people.
The most important thing is to treat this kind of relationship with a pure heart, let go of prejudice and self, cherish every person who is good to you, and those who have harmed you, the best way to deal with them is to forget them.