Along the River Read Online Free PDF

one day we look up and see Ah Wang’s beady little eyes glaring at us through the window.
    “Looks like trouble ahead,” says Gege. As usual, he’s right.
     
Painting Lessons
     
    A h Wang tells Niang about us. He says that Gege is wasting time with Ah Li, and that I’m encouraging them. Niang scolds me and gives me her usual lecture—the one where she says: “Isn’t it enough that you’re rebellious, lazy, ugly and unfilial? Do you have to prevent Gege from studying as well?” Then she gives me a slap (which I was expecting) and follows it with a painful, sly pinch (which I wasn’t). The worst bit is that she tells Baba, who gets really cross. As punishment, he orders Gege to spend more time practicing his shu fa (calligraphy) so his handwriting will impress the Imperial Examiners.
    The lucky part of the whole business, though, is that Baba doesn’t tell us we have to stop spending time with Ah Li. So, the next afternoon, when Ah Li has finished his chores and Gege has recited his Confucian sayings, we meet up.
    “It’s just not fair,” Gege says, kicking the stone support under the table. “I’m sick of practicing my shu fa —it’s boring. I’d much rather paint pictures of objects I can see.”
    “It’s all Niang’s fault,” I say. “She hates it if we have any fun at all.”
    “How does she know what you do?” Ah Li asks. “She doesn’t leave her rooms often enough to find out, does she?”
    “I think she pays Ah Wang to tell her exactly what’s going on in the house. A few days ago I saw him speaking to her at her door, and he was jingling coins in his pocket.”
    Ah Li laughs. “I’m amazed she has to pay Ah Wang—I’m sure he’d gladly tell tales on me for nothing. Anyway, what’s so bad about learning shu fa ? You’re lucky to get the chance. I’ve always wanted to learn how to read and write.”
    “And you’re lucky you don’t have to do it!” Gege retorts. “But if you are so keen to learn, then I can teach you. I won’t be the best teacher, but I can show you the basics.”
    Ah Li looks delighted, so I help Gege carry the four “scholars’ treasures” (wen fang si bao —ink-stick, ink-stone, brush and paper) to Ah Li’s shed, and place them on the big round table. We show Ah Li how to make fresh ink by grinding the ink-stick in water, against the ink-stone.
    Gege moistens his brush with ink, and teaches Ah Li the correct way of holding the brush vertically between his third and fourth fingers. He begins with a few simple characters such as xin (heart), Tian (Heaven), ren (man) and li (strength). To our amazement, from his first stroke, Ah Li’s shu fa looks far better than Gege’s or mine, even though he has never done this before. Unlike my childish squiggles or Gege’s impatient scrawls, Ah Li’s da zi (big characters) are balanced, harmonious and imbued with emotion. For instance, the three dots and single curved line in Ah Li’s word xin (heart) appear to have emerged from his very own heart through the power and velocity of his brush.
    “How did you do that?” Gege asks, impressed.
    “Do what?” Ah Li replies.
    “Sure you haven’t practiced calligraphy before?”
    “You must be joking!”
     
     
    Next morning, Gege shows Ah Li’s big characters to our tutor, Teacher Lai.
    “Amazing! Full of qi (energy)! Very powerful!” says Teacher Lai. “They remind me of the shu fa of the Tang Dynasty master Liu Gong Quanwho lived three hundred years ago. I’m curious to see this calligrapher’s cao shu (cursive script). Will you ask him to write three or four lines quickly, so I can compare his cursive script with his big characters?”
    “He doesn’t know how to write cursive script,” Gege says. “He’s illiterate.”
    “I don’t believe it!” Teacher Lai exclaims, staring at the big characters and shaking his head.
    “Maybe he was the famous calligrapher Liu Gong Quan himself in his past life!” Gege jokes.
    “I’ve always considered