Chapter 5 Part One Talents

On the west bank of Longmen of the Yellow River, stood Sima Qian and his son. Taishi Ling Sima Tan pointed to the Yellow River rolling down with mud and sand, and said to his son: "Our historians must have the spirit to sweep away the filth in the world. We must not only learn The Yellow River is indomitable, learn from the Yellow River's fearlessness, and learn from the Yellow River's integrity." Sima Qian said: "Remember, my child." One afternoon in midsummer, the weather was muggy. On a hillside on the west bank of the Yellow River in Longmen, in a small pavilion surrounded by green pines, Sima Qian and his son sat facing each other on stone tables and chairs.The river wind blew Sima Tan's gray beard, his big eyes were piercing, staring straight at his son.

"Qian'er, you have learned everything well, but it's not enough. As a descendant of historians, Confucius's "Spring and Autumn" should be understood. Qian'er, Confucius' writing history is a model for our historians. Confucius' writing history emphasizes factual records , no flattery, no tampering, this kind of Shide is what we should inherit." "Qian'er understands." "The reason why father wants to take you to the capital is to let you learn from famous teachers, and the collection of books in the capital is very rich, so you can learn more knowledge."

"Father, Qian'er is very happy to come to Beijing with his father, and Qian'er thanks his father." "Our family has studied history for generations. Although our family has declined, our ancestors were first from the Chongli family. Our ancestors have always been the Taishi of the Zhou family. Now the emperor has promoted his father from Taishicheng to Taishiling. It has established the position in the history of our Sima family, so father has the responsibility to train you." Eight-year-old Sima Qian nodded solemnly like a little adult. "As a historian, you must have comprehensive knowledge. You must have a good command of astronomy, geography, and personnel affairs. You must also know everything about calendar calculations, divination, and geomancy. Therefore, when you come to Kyoto, as a father, you must let you pay homage to your masters. Read widely and become the most outstanding historical talent."

"Yes, father." "Qian'er, you have to keep in mind that to be a real historian, in addition to profound knowledge, you must also have integrity." Sima Qian nodded seriously. "Qian'er, our ancestors have been nurtured by the Yellow River for generations, and we must have the spirit of the Yellow River in order to study. Let's go to the embankment and see the Yellow River." The father and son walked towards the river bank... There was rumbling thunder not far away, and the sky was raging with wind and clouds, which meant that a storm was coming.

"Father, it's going to rain heavily." "Afraid?" "Not afraid." "Okay. Father is going to show you what the Yellow River looks like in a storm." The father and son boarded the river bank and watched as the Longmen Mountain was cut off by the Yellow River not far away. rushing out, amazed... The violent wind and the torrential rain came whistling, and suddenly, heavy rain fell from the sky. The father and son were closely related to each other, and they were stunned by the Yellow River in the storm. I saw that the Yellow River became extremely fierce in the storm, and the torrential river was like ten thousand horses galloping, rushing down fearlessly and galloping away... At this time, the Yellow River is more powerful than lions and tigers, and it has become a heavenly soldier and general. ...

"Teacher, brother, hide quickly." I saw family members and Qing'er running over with umbrellas. Sima Qian and his son quickly held up their umbrellas. After a while, the storm passed, and the sky cleared up. Not far away, a beautiful rainbow hung in the sky, which was extremely magnificent. "Husband..." Sima Qian's mother and junior sister Zhen'er also came panting with their clothes. "Look, the clothes are all soaked, so hurry up and go home and change." Madam said. "Haha, it's such a hot day, it will dry in a while, what to change." Sima Qian's father took the clothes while talking, and the father and son went to the pine forest to change the clothes. Sima Qian's mother and junior sister hung up their wet clothes. After drying on the pine trees, the family sat down on the rocks by the river bank.

Junior sister was the same age as Sima Qian, and she was as beautiful as a flower. She was wearing a pink dress, her black eyes were shining, and her cheeks were red with heat from running just now, like a bud in bud. "Brother, are you not afraid of the storm?" "I'm not afraid at all, and I'm even less afraid when I'm with my father." During the flood season, the water of the Yellow River became extremely turbid, and the rolling river rolled down the sand. Sima Tan pointed to the Yellow River and sighed: "Remember, we historians must have the spirit to sweep away the filth in the world. We not only We must learn from the Yellow River's perseverance, learn from the Yellow River's bravery and fearlessness, and learn from the Yellow River's integrity and selflessness."

"Remember." The three teenagers said in unison. Sima Tan was about to return to the capital, and that night, his friend Wang Huai came to say goodbye. The two drank together. Wang Huai is a learned man. He used to be an official in the county, but now lives at home.When Sima Tan was the prime minister in the capital, he asked Qian'er to worship him as a teacher and study with his daughter Zhen'er. Both of them are people who like history, and after three glasses of wine, they naturally stick to their profession. "Brother Sima has been promoted to Taishi Ling this time, and he will accompany the emperor from now on, which is very beneficial for you to write history."

"It's very beneficial, but accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger. I'm afraid that if you don't pay attention, you will be killed." "Hey, with your wisdom and calmness, it's no problem to continue to work beside the emperor. You don't have to worry about being a brother." "Qian'er, come here and pour wine for the master." Sima Tan ordered. Sima Qian hurried over to fill a cup of wine for the master. Looking at the handsome and intelligent little prodigy, Wang Huai showed great concern for him, and said, "Sima Qian, if you go back to the capital, you will find a master who is better than me, Kong Anguo and Dong Zhongshu. They are all well-known scholars. Your father told me that if you want you to worship them as teachers, you must study hard."

"Students remember." The grey-haired Wang Huai nodded in satisfaction, and said, "I don't have a son as a teacher, so even though we are a teacher and a student, we are like father and son. Do you know?" "Students know." Wang Huai said to Sima Tan again: "Qian'er is very talented, especially the most sensitive to history, you really need to nurture him well." Sima Tan nodded. Sima Tan and his son were about to leave, and two carriages were waiting outside the door.Sima Qian's mother took another brocade jacket and rushed out: "Qian'er, put this clothes in the car, and put them on when the road is cold." Qian'er hurriedly climbed into the car and put the clothes away.

Sima Qian's mother took Sima Qian's hand and said: "Qian'er, add more clothes when it's cold..." Her voice choked up as she spoke. Sima Tan comforted her: "Okay, okay, with me accompanying him, why bother. Go back quickly, it's time for us to set off." Wang Huai and his daughter also came. "Brother Wang, don't come and give it away." Sima Tan said. Zhen'er walked up to Sima Qian: "Brother, after you have learned it, can you teach me later?" "it is good." "Departure." "Wait a minute!" Hearing the shout, everyone looked back and saw Qing'er running over. "My lord," Qing'er came to Sima Qian, sweating profusely, "I went to herd the sheep, so I came late." Sima Qian held his hand: "Qing'er, you can learn well while herding sheep while studying. Many of Confucius' students were born as sheep herders." "I remember, I will work hard." "Qing'er, don't be sad, my father said, our family will move to Maoling soon, and we will meet soon." Er said happily: "We can study together again by then." Both teenagers laughed. "Brother," Zhen'er handed Sima Qian an inkstone and said, "This is a family heirloom of our family, you can take it..." "thanks." "Departure." The two carriages started, and Sima Qian desperately waved to them in the carriage...