Chapter 5 Test 2
Liu Zhengfeng was having breakfast with his wife Ouyang. After hearing the housekeeper's report, he frowned slightly.

The world is divided into levels, namely the upper nine classes, the middle nine classes, and the lower nine classes.

As a scholar among the upper nine classes, Ou Zanghua wrote things about ninth-rate actors, which would indeed affect his reputation if they were spread.

We must stop him before his classmates and teachers arrive!

Thinking of this, Liu Zhengfeng immediately stood up and walked towards the back door.

But when he walked to the back door, he found that there were already several young men dressed as scholars surrounding his apprentice.

Old Liu's expression changed and he suddenly felt overwhelmed.

Liu Qing noticed his father coming and shouted happily, "Dad, come and see the opera written by Senior Brother. It's so interesting!"

"Nonsense!"

Liu Zhengfeng shouted coldly, "Who made the unreasonable request to ask you to write that stupid opera?"

Liu Qing's smile froze, as if no one had made such a request!
Ou Zanghua had finished writing the first scene at this time. He looked at the two actors and asked, "Can you read?"

"Master, I know a few words." The actor bowed and replied.

"Okay, I've marked the male and female actors, and you two should memorize the script first. If there are any words you don't know, you can come to me." Ou Zanghua nodded and handed the script to the male actor.

Then, he looked at Liu Zhengfeng and explained gently: "Master, don't be angry. I just listened to the play for a while and felt deeply ashamed. So I decided to write a play to share the story with everyone."

Why are you ashamed of listening to a play?
Liu Zhengfeng was a little confused and couldn't figure it out for a while.

However, one of the scholars who were caught reacted.

He smiled and said, "I understand. Brother Ou is really humble!"

"Brother Wang, please stop praising me." Ou Zanghua smiled and waved his hands, looking as if he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Hahaha" Wang Shen couldn't help but laugh. Seeing that the other two scholars looked confused, he explained the lyrics of the carriage lantern to them.

After learning that the script was improvised, the two finally understood what Wang Shen was laughing at.

He is embarrassed by the praise, so he comes out to change the subject personally!
Scholar Zhang Xingzhi smiled and shook his head, saying, "I never expected that I would see Brother Ou in such a state of embarrassment."

"That's right," said the scholar Wu Feng with regret, "It's just that we are late. If we had arrived earlier, we could have seen something even more exciting."

"Let's drop the topic here!" Ou Zanghua quickly stopped the three people and then introduced the two parties to each other.

Wang Shen, Zhang Xingzhi and Wu Feng were all good friends of Ou Zanghua in the academy.

In this provincial examination, Ou Zanghua and Wang Shen passed successfully, but Zhang Xingzhi and Wu Feng still need to work hard.

After the two sides greeted each other politely, Ou Zanghua secretly raised his eyebrows proudly at Liu Zhengfeng, and then led his three friends into Wuyuan to chat.

Seeing this, Liu Zhengfeng couldn't help but smile bitterly. The brains of these scholars were indeed beyond the reach of the people in the martial arts world.

Liu Qing was interested in their topic and joined in. Ou Zanghua asked her to sit next to him and listen to the four young people talking about everything. Although she didn't understand much, she was very happy to see their high spirits.

At noon, Teacher Wu Xun and Principal Cai Rupu came hand in hand.

A moment later, Nan Zhihao, the academician of Hengyang, Zhuang Beihai, the deputy governor, and Yi Bolin, the governor of Hengyang, also arrived. Ou Zanghua drank and chatted with his teachers and fellow students, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Tongzhi Zhuang Beihai was a native of Hengyang. After drinking, he suddenly smiled and said, "Just now when I came to Liu's house, I heard two actors at the end of the street singing a couplet: The sun is warm and the spring is beautiful, the peach blossoms are red, the willows are green, and the grass is fragrant. I don't like the Great Nuo Immortal, I want to learn to be with the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd. After passing one mountain after another, the dense jungle blocks the sunlight. Lovebirds are intertwined on the branches, and butterflies are reflected in the morning window. At that time, I was wondering where these actors came from to write such a catchy play."

"Hahahaha" as soon as these words were spoken, Wang Shen, Zhang Xingzhi and Wu Feng immediately burst into laughter, while Ou Zanghua covered his face with his sleeves, his face flushed and looking embarrassed.

“What is this?” Zhuang Beihai looked at the four people, somewhat confused.

Seeing the teachers' confusion, Wang Shen looked at Ou Zanghua and asked if he wanted to tell it.

Ou Zanghua seemed to have accepted his fate and waved his hand to indicate that it was up to the prince to do as he pleased.

So Wang Shen recounted in detail what had just happened outside, and everyone laughed after listening.

For literati, Ou Zanghua's behavior of "writing a play to change the subject because he felt embarrassed when being praised" is not a disgrace to his manners, but rather a manifestation of humility and can be praised as a good thing.

Because he wrote plays not to please anyone, nor for money, he still had the integrity of a scholar.

"Have you finished writing this opera?" Wu Xun looked at Ou Zanghua and asked gently.

Ou Zanghua bowed and replied, "Sir, I have completed the idea, but I haven't finished writing it yet."

"In that case, why not just finish writing it!" Zhuang Beihai laughed and said, "I'm a little curious about what story this play is about."

Hengyang prefect Yi Bolin glanced at Zhuang Beihai and nodded with a smile.

"It's a folk story that the student heard from a coachman in Wuling on the way to refer to. It's called "Liu Hai Cutting Wood." "Ou Zanghua did not refuse when he saw this. He took this opportunity to write the whole version.

Why does Ou Zanghua remember "Liu Hai Kan Qiao"?
Because he came from a rural area in Hunan Province in his previous life, "Liu Hai Kan Qiao" was a must-play when there was a funeral in the village. It can be said that he had been listening to it since he was a child.

Of course, there were bound to be some vague memories at one time or another, but he used the knowledge he had acquired during the three years of studying to fill in the gaps.

Therefore, the "Liu Hai Kan Qiao" written by Ou Zanghua now is a version with adjustments based on the original work, which can be called the Ou version.

So, under the watchful eyes of his teachers and classmates, Ou Zanghua wrote "Liu Hai Cutting Wood" without any pause.

When Wu Xun saw the paragraph "Sister Hu, my wife, who are you comparing me to?", he looked a little unhappy.

As a traditional scholar, the love he wrote about was always implicit.

For example, the great talent Lin Hong in the early Ming Dynasty wrote in his poem "Presented to Zhang Hongqiao": "The osmanthus palace is burning with incense and I am half awake from the wine. Dewdrops are like water dotting the silver screen. I want to tell you what's in my heart, but I am ashamed to see the Altair and Vega stars."

There is not a single word of love in the whole poem, but it is full of longing and love.

Another example is Tang Bohu's "A Cut Plum: Rain hits the pear blossoms and the door is closed: Rain hits the pear blossoms and the door is closed. Youth is wasted, youth is wasted. Who can I share the joys and pleasures with? Enchanted by the flowers, enchanted by the moon. Worry gathers on my brows and they frown all day long. Thousands of tear marks, tens of thousands of tear marks. Watch the sky at dawn and the clouds at dusk. I miss you when I walk and when I sit.

It depicts the feeling of separation in love vividly and is a rare masterpiece in the world.

Shanzhang Cai Rupu stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It is a good piece of writing that can be spread all over Sanxiang."

Wu Xun was stunned. Could this spread throughout Hunan?

Cai Rupu looked at Wu Xun and said gently, "Don't worry, my lord. Just wait and see!"

(End of this chapter)