Chapter 28

（Finally made it to the list, this time I must hold on, please give me recommendation votes!!!）

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In modern primary schools, learning to recognize and write characters is done simultaneously, which is not ideal. Chinese calligraphy emphasizes 'intention before the brush, then the character is formed.' Children have no intuitive understanding of character structure, so their writing naturally lacks feeling, resulting in bizarre and unsightly characters. Achieving success in calligraphy is extremely difficult.

In ancient times, children would only begin practicing writing after memorizing texts like the "Hundred Family Surnames" and the "Thousand Character Classic," familiarizing themselves with thousands of characters. This way, they already had an impression of character structure before practicing writing, making their strokes more deliberate. After repeated practice, everyone could write beautifully.

In modern times, poor handwriting is not a big issue, but in this era, poor handwriting means everything is off the table. Not to mention holding office or pursuing scholarship, even as a merchant or a bookkeeper, poor handwriting would be looked down upon.

Therefore, to study, one must practice writing. And practicing writing naturally starts with copying from models. Instead of the commonly used 'Shang Da Ren Kong Yi Ji, Hua San Qian Qi Shi Shi, Er Xiao Sheng ** Zi, Jia Zuo Ren Ke Zhi Li' in early education, Chen Xiliang chose the rarely used "Guangyun."

Firstly, this book was officially compiled, using the most rigorous regular script, which is greatly beneficial for building a foundation. Secondly, the book is divided into five volumes based on the five tones: upper level, lower level, rising, departing, and entering, so the process of copying also involves learning about tones and rhymes. Thirdly, copying such a large volume requires a calm and composed mind, and Chen Xiliang intended to temper Chen Ke's fiery temperament.

However, things did not go as planned. Chen Sanlang was on the verge of despair because the ancient method of learning pronunciation was extremely cumbersome. Simply put, they used forty characters as initial consonants and the final consonants from rhyme books as vowels, using the 'fanqie' method to annotate characters.

To put it more simply, in the fanqie method, the first character used for annotation is called the 'upper character,' the second is the 'lower character,' and the character being annotated is the 'target character.' The basic principle is that the upper character shares the same initial consonant as the target character, and the lower character shares the same final consonant and tone. When combined, they form the pronunciation of the target character.

For example, 'Dong, Du Zong Qie' uses the initial consonant of 'Du' and the final consonant and tone of 'Zong' to annotate 'Dong.' This method, borrowed from Sanskrit pronunciation during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and perfected during the Tang and Song Dynasties, was a significant improvement over earlier methods like 'read like' and 'direct pronunciation' used in the Han Dynasty. However, for those accustomed to pinyin, it feels like a regression to the Stone Age.

Clearly, the upper and lower characters in fanqie contain redundant elements, making the combination process somewhat cumbersome. Moreover, the excessive number of characters used in fanqie makes it difficult to master. Of course, this method of annotating each character individually is more precise than the pinyin system used in modern times.

Furthermore, the pinyin system is based on the Beijing dialect, which has a Manchu accent and lacks the entering tone. Therefore, pinyin cannot accurately simulate the entering tone. The entering tone is one of the three oblique tones in the level-oblique system, and without it, the rhythm of ancient Chinese is lost. Thus, using pinyin, one cannot recite the rhythm of ancient poetry.

However, coincidentally, because of his need to study ancient texts, Chen Ke was familiar with the 'Wade-Giles' system from a young age, rather than the pinyin system used in mainland China or the National Phonetic Alphabet used in Taiwan. This system, the longest-used Latin annotation method, can not only represent the entering tone of standard Chinese but also better simulate the classical flavor.

But when he excitedly tried to use Wade-Giles to replace fanqie, he was stumped. At this time, it was a thousand years before Wade-Giles was introduced, and there was no pinyin dictionary to link characters and sounds. The great task of annotating characters seemed to fall on his shoulders—precisely because he needed to master the exact pronunciation of each character.

Unfortunately, to master the exact pronunciation of each character at this time, he had to thoroughly understand the "Guangyun"...

Naturally, this was a task for future generations to benefit from. Chen Ke had two choices: either wait a thousand years for the British man Wade to come to China, or take on this arduous and great project himself... The thought of it made his scalp tingle.

To do or not to do? That was the question, but at least one thing was certain—whether he did it or not, he had to study the "Guangyun" well.

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In the early morning, Chen Xiliang opened his eyes upon hearing the morning call of the monk outside. Usually, he would wake up early to boil water and cook before the children gradually woke up... but these past few days had been too exhausting, and he had overslept.

He rubbed his eyes and saw Chen Ke already sitting at the table practicing calligraphy, which made him smile genuinely. He quietly put on his clothes and shoes and walked to the table.

Chen Ke heard the footsteps and was about to turn his head when Chen Xiliang sternly said, "In calligraphy, the most important thing is to be calm and composed! You must focus your mind, eliminate distractions, and concentrate your spirit, with a calm heart and harmonious breath!"

Chen Ke nodded and refocused on the paper. Seeing that his grip on the brush was incorrect, Chen Xiliang corrected his wrist first: "A vertical wrist ensures a straight tip. A straight tip ensures a balanced force on all sides!"

"Next, the fingers must be firm, so the force is evenly distributed. The palm must be hollow, so the movement is smooth." Chen Xiliang corrected his grip and, holding his hand, demonstrated and explained while writing:

"For a dot, the stroke must be tight and heavy! For a horizontal stroke, the stroke must be firm and slow! For a slanting stroke, the stroke must be sharp and strong! For a vertical stroke, the stroke must be powerful and bold! For a hook, the stroke must be smooth and hesitant, looking to the right! For a loop, the stroke must be dense, with a tight tip and a smooth turn! For a wave, the stroke must be threefold and the tip must be released!"

Dipping the brush in ink, he continued while writing: "For a side stroke, the brush must not be flat. For a horizontal stroke, the brush must not lie flat; the tip must lead. For a vertical stroke, it should not be straight, as straightness loses power. For a lifting stroke, the tip must be retained and released with force. For a slanting stroke, the tip must be lifted and retained. For a sweeping stroke, the tip must extend to the left and be sharp. For a pecking stroke, the brush must be laid flat and quickly covered. For a捺stroke, the brush must be pressed outward, and the stroke must be released slowly and confidently..."

After explaining all the essentials of writing, he released Chen Ke's hand: "To learn calligraphy, it is best to start with regular script in your youth. Initially, focus on copying, first understanding the intentions of the ancients, then the brush techniques, and finally the style. If you practice diligently, within a hundred days, your writing will no longer be unbearable to look at..."

After saying this, he saw that Sanlang had written a few characters, and indeed, there was improvement. He then noticed some movement in the yard and went out to see a chubby young man busy in the kitchen. This unexpected visitor was clearly not a thief, but could it be the brother of the snail girl... the snail brother?

"Who are you?" Chen Xiliang found him familiar but couldn't place him.

"Grandmaster, don't you recognize me? I'm Chuanfu, the apprentice of Laifu!" The young man quickly wiped his hands on his apron and came out, bowing respectfully: "Grandmaster, please accept your humble apprentice's bow!"

"Chuanfu, the apprentice of Laifu?" Chen Xiliang suddenly realized: "You're Mr. Cai?"

"Exactly, your humble apprentice," the young man said shyly. "I came early to learn, and I shouldn't have disturbed Grandmaster and Master. I apologize..."

"That's not the case. Your matter has already been discussed with Sanlang." Chen Xiliang was a bit puzzled: "You're here to learn?"

"Yes, I am here to learn!" Chuanfu nodded seriously. "Master is teaching me how to cook porridge, steam buns, and mix pickles!"

"This is clearly making breakfast..." Chen Xiliang couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Don't listen to him. This boy likes to play tricks. Don't come so early in the future. I'll send him to your place to teach you cooking."

"No, no, Master is both virtuous and skilled. I am sincere in my apprenticeship." Chuanfu rubbed the back of his head and smiled honestly: "Serving the master is the duty of an apprentice. If I fail in my duty, I am not worthy to be Master's apprentice."

"Hey..." Chen Xiliang thought this young man was really good and tried to persuade him: "You don't need to come. Your shop is busy."

"I closed the shop," Chuanfu said. "I want to focus on learning for a month..."

"..." Chen Xiliang was a bit unhappy. This would affect my son's studies, but he couldn't say it outright, so he decided to wait a few days.

At this moment, Er Lang, Wu Lang, and Liu Lang gradually woke up. Liu Lang had fully recovered and was more energetic than before.

Seeing Cai Chuanfu, they naturally winked at each other, showing no unfamiliarity.

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Chuanfu's cooking skills, by restaurant standards, were not up to par, but for a family meal, especially for a household struggling with hunger, it was more than sufficient.

A basket of steamed buns and a pot of porridge were all eaten up. Chuanfu happily went to clear the table, but Chen Xiliang stopped him and ordered Wu Lang to do it. He sternly told Sanlang: "Chuanfu is here to learn, not to be a servant. Don't bully him with arrogance!"

After saying this, he left for work. Cultivating children's education is an expensive endeavor, and nurturing a prodigy is even more costly. Chen Xiliang felt very uneasy for not working yesterday.

Er Lang also packed his things and was ready to leave. Today was his first day back at school, but fortunately, the Zhongyan Academy was not far from home, so he could see them in the morning and evening.

After they left, Liu Lang looked eagerly at his third brother. Today, he was allowed to rest and was hoping his third brother would take him out to play.

Cai Chuanfu also looked at him, hoping to learn advanced cooking skills immediately.

But Chen Ke, with a stern face, moved the ink, brush, and paper to the table and continued copying the "Guangyun."

The two of them dared not make a sound and could only watch him write stroke by stroke. After filling a whole sheet of paper, Chen Ke put down the brush and asked Chuanfu: "Am I more skilled, or are you more skilled?"

"Ah..." Chuanfu scratched his head and said honestly: "Of course, Master is more skilled. I am... " He remembered Chen Ke's catchphrase and added: "...terrible."

"I am so skilled, yet I still need to practice diligently, stroke by stroke, to build a foundation," Chen Ke rolled his eyes and pointed to the kitchen, scolding: "You know you are terrible, so why have you been standing there for half an hour? I don't need a bodyguard while writing. Go practice your basics right now!"

"Yes, yes!" Chuanfu quickly fled.

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