Chapter 8 5. My mother teaches like a mountain

The mother lowered her head and was reading to little Confucius under the oil lamp. Little Confucius suddenly saw thin wrinkles like little snakes growing on her mother’s face, ah, my mother is old... like a little snake biting a hole Qiu's heart, his heart shrank... Little Kong Qiu watched with fascination from the beginning to the end... This is the first time I have seen such an exciting song and dance, ah!It's so beautiful, I will spend my whole life in ritual and music. It was late at night, under the soybean oil lamp, Zheng Zai wove a basket, stood up slowly, and beat his back with his hands. She saw that the light was still on in Little Kongqiu's small room, and left past.She pushed open the door and saw that little Kong Qiu was still concentrating on reading the bamboo slips.Seeing his mother coming, Confucius hurriedly asked:

"Mother, please tell me what these two words mean." "Which words, come, mother will tell you." "Mother, what kind of bean is this Zudou?" "Oh, Qiuer, Zudou are not beans, they are all vessels for offering sacrifices. So the matter of Zudou also represents a matter of etiquette." "Oh, that's right. Thank you mother for your advice." Zhengzai told Confucius for a while, she stopped, took a long breath, and little Kongqiu suddenly saw thin wrinkles like little snakes growing on his mother's face, ah, mother is old... just like a little snake. The snake was biting Kong Qiu's heart, and he shrank...

"Ah! Mother, you have worked too hard. I can't make mother too tired. Mother, tell me tomorrow. Go to rest!" Zheng helped Xiao Kongqiu pull up the quilt, took his changed clothes, and then went back to the house. The next day, Zheng Zai opened an old wooden box, took out the bamboo slips inside, and said: "This box of books was left by my grandfather, you must study hard." Confucius opened it and saw that it was the "Shangshu", which contained the emperor's edicts, announcements, oaths, sacrificial rites... His eyes lit up, and he decided to learn while asking, this is knowledge.

When Confucius was eight years old, in the twenty-ninth year of Duke Xiang of Lu (the summer of 544 BC), the little Confucius woke up before dawn. He dressed himself and wanted to wake up his mother, so he came quietly In the mother's room, ah, where is the mother?He looked at the outer room and couldn't see it, so he called out. "Mother." "Hey, Qiuer, here it is!" It turned out that my mother had gotten up and was plowing the vegetable field! "Qiu'er, it's still early. Why did you wake up? Mother wanted to wait until dawn to call you." "Mom, let's go!"

"It's still early, you go to study first, mother will call you when she finishes cleaning the floor." "Then let me help you!" "No, hurry up and get a book to read, be obedient." Little Kongqiu went to get the bamboo slips and came out and sat on a rock, and began to read in the morning light. Zheng Zai straightened up, wiped off his sweat, and asked: "Qiu'er, who did the poem "Pan Shui" that mother taught you yesterday praise?" "That poem is to praise Lord Lu Xi for his noble character, his ability to write and martial arts, and his ancestors to strive for glory."

Zheng Zai thought, this kid is really talented, just tell him once and he will understand, if he learns well, he may be a national talent in the future.My little knowledge is far from enough to satisfy his thirst. Let him read all the books at home... We can't delay the child, we have to send him to school. But the tuition fees are too expensive... Weaving desperately, I must send Qiu'er to the school. The mother cooked the breakfast, watched Qiu Er eat it, put on new clothes for him, and told him: "You must listen to Teacher Zili, and don't run around when you arrive at the palace."

"Hey." "Mother, is Dr. Ji Zha from Wu?" "Yes, Lu Jun specially held a grand ceremony and music performance for him, you have to study hard." "Okay, mother." Arriving at Master Zili's house, Yan Zheng saluted Master Zili, "Mr., this is my son Kong Qiu. A few days ago, I sent someone to beg you." "Oh, Confucius, a child who is eager to learn and ask questions." "Qiu'er, hurry up and kowtow to Mr. The little Confucius, who was only eleven or twelve years old, took a step forward and saluted: "Mr. above, the boy Kong Qiu saluted you." After saying that, he knelt down to the old Mr. Zili.

"Ah, get up, get up, this kid is so polite, no wonder so many people praise him." "Thank you, old man. Thank you for fulfilling Qiu'er's wish and taking him to the palace to watch the ceremony and music. Please." "Do not worry." Mother exhorted Qiu'er again: "You have to follow Mr. Good, and you can't run around by yourself." "Okay, mother, you go back!" Little Kongqiu and Mr. Zili rode together to the Palace of the State of Lu, and he followed Mr. Zili to the position of a scholar. It was the first time for little Kongqiu to enter the official residence of the King of Lu and saw the luxurious and solemn palace for the first time. He thought that the palace of Lord Hou was so gorgeous, but the palace of Zhou Tianzi did not know how splendid it was.Then he whispered to Zili: "Teacher, the palace of Emperor Zhou is in Luoyi, can I go?"

"Ordinary people can't get in. When you grow up and become famous, Emperor Zhou will summon you." A person standing nearby asked, "Whose family does this child belong to?" "Son of Kong He." "Oh, the offspring of heroes." Little Kongqiu took a look, the hall was full of people standing inside and outside the hall before Lord Lu and the distinguished guests arrived on the stage. "Teacher, who is Ji Zha?" "Young Master Wu is an envoy sent by the King of Wu. He is familiar with rituals and music. Today, Lord Lu is holding a music event specially for him."

The two were talking, but they heard a shout of "Lu Jun is here", and suddenly the drums were played, and Lu Xianggong accompanied Wu Gongzi Jizha into the hall. The officials shouted "Long live Zhou Tianzi, long live!!" Mr. Wu gave a national salute to Lu Jun, and Lu Jun returned the salute. After Lu Jun and Wu Gongzi were seated, the music event began. The musicians of the palace band came out and sang while playing, so the beautiful songs of "Zhou Nan" and "Zhao Nan" echoed over the hall: At this moment, five young men dressed as girls and five hunters, with bows and arrows on their shoulders, danced against each other. The graceful yarn dance of the girls and the rough and strong bow dance of the boys matched beautifully and harmoniously. .

After the dance, Ji Zha praised: "Beautiful! Such a beautiful piece of music is a symbol of social stability and a better life for the people." A burst of exciting and high-spirited music sounded, and two rows of warriors in full body armor came out and danced "Da Wu" with red-tasseled swords and spears in their hands. , making Ji Zha extremely excited, he said loudly to Lu Jun: "It's so beautiful, this is the symbol of King Wu's defeat of Zhou Dynasty and the prosperity of the Zhou Dynasty!" Another burst of passionate and solemn music was played, and a musician dressed as Dayu came out, wearing a bamboo hat and coir raincoat, and performed a water control dance at the whirlpool of the Yellow River.Suddenly, there was lightning and thunder, and the rainstorm was approaching, but Dayu was not afraid. He observed the direction of the water potential of the Yellow River when it flooded... His spirit moved the heavens, and after a while, the rain was over and the sky was clear, and all the birds were singing happily.Suddenly, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the east. With the sound of auspicious music, dragons, horses and turtles appeared in the water of the Yellow River, ah!Hetu, Luoshu... Dayu excitedly carved Hetu and Luoshu on the bamboo slips... When Dayu waved his hand, the subjects rushed out to cheer, they will govern Kyushu according to the Hetu and Luoshu, and they happily surrounded Dayu holding a dragon horse and a tortoise A cheerful water control dance was performed... After the dance, Jizha stood up excitedly, and praised loudly: "It's beautiful, it's so beautiful! No one can compare with Xia Yu for working hard for the people." The musicians played "Bin Feng" again. Two teams of mighty warriors came out and danced with swords and axes. They danced fiercely against each other and sang: After a while, with the solemn and cheerful music, Zhou Gong dressed up appeared on the stage, and he announced to the warriors: The Eastern Expedition has won. The warriors happily knelt on one leg to pay respects to Duke Zhou... At this time, the music started loudly, and Lord Lu also stood up to pay tribute to Duke Zhou. With a clatter, everyone stood up and cheered Duke Zhou, the king of Lu. The dance and music reached a climax, and the young master sighed: "It's so beautiful, it's so beautiful! It's open but not overbearing, and the music is not lewd. This is the symbol of Duke Zhou's style!" Ji Zha said happily again: "The State of Lu really deserves to be a country of rites and music. It seems that the rites and music of the Zhou Dynasty are all in it!" Little Kong Qiu watched with fascination from the beginning to the end... This is the first time I have seen such an exciting song and dance, ah!It was so beautiful, little Kongqiu secretly swore: I will spend my whole life in ritual and music. After returning home, Zheng Zai looked at the little Kong Qiu's blushing face with excitement, and said happily: "Qiu Er, how are you doing, do you like it?" "I like it, I like it so much. Mother, where is your piano, give it to me quickly, I want to learn the piano." "Okay. Mother will teach you, but you have to wash your face and change your clothes first." "Okay, mother." From then on, in the three huts in Queli, in addition to the sound of spinning and reciting books, there was also the sound of piano... One night, Yan Zheng was spinning in the main room, and the sound of the piano came from Kong Qiu's room. Zheng stopped what he was doing and listened for a while, and gradually a look of joy appeared on his face. The son not only reads well and is very intelligent, but also has such a high talent for music, so he walked into the wing... "Mother." Seeing his mother coming in, little Kong Qiu raised his head. "Qiu'er, your piano skills and music have already surpassed your mother's. Your progress is so fast!" "Mother, the child is not good..." "It's time for you to seek advice from higher teachers, but it's a pity that your mother doesn't know anyone, so you should think about it yourself first, and then look for opportunities to learn from others." "Okay, mother." One evening, Confucius passed by a courtyard with a wall, and suddenly he heard the melodious sound of a zither coming from the window. Kong Qiu was so engrossed in listening that he forgot to go home...Suddenly the sound of the zither stopped abruptly, but a sigh came from the window, and Kong Qiu came back to his senses...He thought, who is playing the qin? And why sigh?So he asked passers-by. "Excuse me, sir, whose house is in this courtyard wall?" "Oh, this courtyard is the residence of Shi Xiangzi, a court musician." "Thank you, sir." Confucius didn't want to ask more questions. When he got home, his mother brought hot rice. Kong Qiu and his mother sat down to eat dinner, Kong Qiu took a few mouthfuls of food, and then began to meditate. "Qiu'er, what are you thinking about? Eat quickly, the food is getting cold." He added some vegetables to his bowl. "Mother, my son wants to learn piano from Shi Xiangzi." "Shi Xiangzi? Oh, I heard that he is a famous old musician in the court. I forgot about him. It would be really nice to learn from him." "Mother, the child must learn from him." "Then... how about it! Mother will take you to visit tomorrow and beg him to let you worship him as a teacher." "Thank you, mother. Mother, you are the best person in the world." "yes?" The next day, his mother changed into the clothes he was reluctant to wear, and little Kong Qiu also put on the new clothes that his mother had made for him overnight.The mother carried two chickens, and the little Kongqiu happily walked to Shixiangzi's mansion with the piano on his shoulders. Little Kongqiu was very nervous, his heart was pounding, he was afraid that Shi Xiangzi would not let him go. "Mother, what if Shi Xiangzi doesn't accept me?" "I'm going to trust someone." "Mother, it's very kind of you." When we arrived at Shixiang's mansion, the family members informed us to go in, and after a while, the family members came out and said, "Master, please go in." Little Kong Qiu blushed with joy, and followed his mother into the main room. Confucius saw an old man with white hair and a childlike face, sitting at the table.Both the mother and Confucius gave gifts to Shi Xiangzi. "The maidservant is Kong He's wife, and the youngest son, Kong Qiu, is his son. Because Kong Qiu admires your piano skills, he wants to ask you for advice for a few days. I don't know if the master is willing to teach you." When Shi Xiangzi heard that it was Kong He, he quickly stood up and said: "Ah, it turns out they are descendants of warrior Kong! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please sit down." The mother sat down, and little Kong Qiu stood beside her. "Warrior Kong is a hero that I admire very much. When he lifted the torch and saved many soldiers, I was the one who led the palace band to welcome him at the city gate when he was triumphant. I was also the one who received the award when Lu Jun presented him in the palace. The music played by the band." Shi Xiangzi said again: "I want to hear Confucius playing the piano." Confucius thought, the teacher probably wanted to see my level, so he put down the qin he was carrying and started to play the qin. He played a movement "Broken Axe" in praise of Duke Zhou's Eastern Expedition... Playing, playing He seems to have seen the smoke-filled early Western Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Gongli commanded the three armies to sweep the rebels on the chariot, and he also seemed to see Zhou Gongli being welcomed by Zhou Tianzi Chengwang when he returned from the Eastern Expedition... At this time, he has already Entering a state of perfection, forgetting everything... At the end of the song, Shi Xiangzi seemed to have not recovered, and was still listening, motionless. After a while, he said: "You play the piano so well, you have such superb piano skills at such a young age, who did you learn from?" "Mother." Shi Xiangzi nodded to Yan Zhengzai with respectful eyes, and said: "Confucius played the piano not with his fingers, but with his heart, so he was different from others." "Sir, I'm overwhelmed." Yan Zhengzai said. Confucius said: "Sir, I don't learn the qin to play the qin. I want to further my studies in rites and music, and I want to understand the profound meaning of it." "Very good, with ambition. I am willing to teach such a student. From now on, let him come every night!" "Mr. Xie." From then on, Confucius learned how to play the piano from Shi Xiangzi. The gifted student got the guidance of the high teacher, like a fish in water, and Kong Qiu's piano art progressed rapidly. One day, Shi Xiangzi said: "Confucius, your qin rhyme has improved a lot, and now you have got the melody." Confucius asked: "You mean, sir, I have mastered the qin rhyme, right?" "Exactly." After a while, Shi Xiangzi heard Kong Qiu finish playing the zither, and said, "Kong Qiu, you've got what you want." "Mister means that I have already entered the realm of happiness." "Yes, but this is only the second stage of piano art." "Then... sir, what is the third stage?" Shi Xiangzi didn't speak. After a while, one day, Shi Xiangzi and Confucius were practicing piano under the cypress tree in the courtyard. After a few pieces, Shi Xiangzi said to Confucius: "Now, I will let you play a new piece of music. After playing it, if you can realize who wrote it, then you have learned it." "Okay, I would like to listen to the teacher's teaching." So Confucius played a new piece of music. Immediately, melodious music reverberated in Shi Xiangzi's courtyard lined with pines and cypresses... Shi Xiangzi closed his eyes and began to appreciate, the gentle wind blowing his snow-white beard, only listening to the music. Sometimes it was like a mountain and flowing water, a waterfall, melodious and melodious... Sometimes it was like a big river, rushing for thousands of miles, high-pitched and passionate... Finally, all the rivers returned to the sea, A vast ocean... Shi Xiangzi was intoxicated by the water and the sky, when he suddenly heard Confucius exclaim: "I have seen a saint, I have seen a saint, his tall body, solemn and kind eyes, and the golden light all over his body, this saint must be King Wen... such a magnificent movement, such a majestic movement is none other than him!" After hearing this, Shi Xiangzi praised and said: "Anyone who can understand the author of this movement shows that his skills have reached perfection. This movement, called "Zhang Wang Cao", was indeed written by King Wen, and it is my treasure. I have taught it to you, Confucius, and you have learned it." After hearing this, Confucius hurriedly left the table and said, "Thank you, Mr. Confucius, for your great kindness and virtue." "Confucius, your qin art has already been mastered, and you can resonate with the composer. This is the third stage you once asked me about." "Oh, sir, I understand, this is the highest level of piano art." "Exactly." Shi Xiangzi boasted again: "You have a great understanding of music. This is the first time I have met such a talented person. If you continue to study hard, you will become a master in the future." Confucius bowed again: "Thanks to the teaching of the master, I have made great progress. Thank you again, Confucius."