"Miss An." A voice, both surprised and delighted, came from behind. An Xin turned around and saw Yang Hu.
"Oh, Brother Yang." An Xin walked out from among the flowers, her skirt accidentally getting caught on a flower branch. An Xin frowned. Ancient costumes were complicated and not very neat. She had been running all the way here, which had affected her speed. Fortunately, her body had long enough legs, which would be a good foundation for her future running practice.
Yang Hu hurriedly said, "Let me help you." If he let her pull like that, it would only get tighter and tighter. But as soon as he finished speaking, there was a "ripping" sound, and the perfectly good hem of his skirt was torn off by her!
An Xin leaped out and said with a smile, "Brother Yang, I know who the murderer is. Please inform the magistrate to come here tomorrow."
Yang Hu was taken aback, then sighed, "Miss An, the sir already knows who the murderer is..."
An Xin's expression changed: "What?"
Yang Hu said, "The case has been unsolved for a long time, so the magistrate invited the Feng family. As you know, the Feng family has been solving cases for generations and has produced many capable people. This time, the one who found the real culprit was a younger member of the Feng family. In order to give them a chance to practice, the Feng family specially sent them to assist the magistrate in solving the case."
An Xin felt her heart race: "So, how many days have they been here?" At least when she learned about the case, the Feng family was definitely unaware, so how could they have found the real culprit in just one day?!
“One day.” Yang Hu sighed, then he felt strange. An Xin had actually found the murderer. If you think about it carefully, it was only one day. This surprised him greatly. As for that An Daming, he was just a good-for-nothing.
An Xin's eyes grew brighter, and after a long while, she suddenly smiled and asked, "Brother Yang, when will they reveal the real culprit?"
Yang Hu said, "It's tomorrow too."
An Xin nodded and smiled, "Brother Yang, it's getting late, I'm leaving now."
Yang Hu was momentarily stunned by her laughter and hurriedly said, "Miss An..."
An Xin stopped and looked at Yang Hu.
Yang Hu rubbed his hands together and laughed, "The magnolias in the west of the county are in bloom. I heard that they are holding a flower appreciation party there. As long as you write a good poem, you can get fifty taels of silver. How about... how about we go together?"
An Xin had no interest at first, but when she heard that there was a reward of fifty taels of silver, she was tempted. She had no choice; her family was now destitute, and her parents were struggling financially. She had to earn more money to improve their situation.
"Fifty taels? Brother Yang, let's go!" With that, An Xin grabbed Yang Hu and rushed forward.
Yang Hu's face suddenly turned bright red. He was dragged along by An Xin for a long time before he came to his senses and said, "Miss An, we're going the wrong way."
...
A poem reads: "Her new makeup is as beautiful as jade, a thousand fairies surround her like snow. I know she is a true fairy from Mount Guye, sent by heaven to try on her feathered robes..." In the distance, a large expanse of magnolias is seen, like snow and smoke, graceful and elegant, with a unique charm.
When the wind blows, the magnolias sway, like a vast expanse of white waves, carrying a delicate fragrance. It is truly a scene of gentle breezes and countless magnolias in full snowy white.
An Xin said, "So beautiful." An Xin, who is not good at expressing her feelings, usually only uses these two words when expressing her feelings about beauty.
Yang Hu was secretly pleased. He pointed to the pavilion in the distance and said, "The flower viewing party is over there. Let's go over there."
The so-called flower appreciation gathering is nothing more than a place for a group of literati to show off their literary skills, using flowers as inspiration and scenery as a means of expressing their feelings, and then writing their poems for others to comment on.
Anxin felt that women who were artistic were very feminine, while men who were artistic were not very masculine.
But judging from this flower-viewing party, there were many non-male attendees.
There were still many people in the pavilion. Looking around, there were scholars and poets. A young gentleman sitting on one side was very eye-catching. He had very handsome features and wore a dark blue robe. He seemed to be reading a poem that had just been completed.
A scholar dressed as a scholar had already finished a poem and was reciting it aloud. An Xin strained her ears to listen—"In the distance there are countless flowers, nearby there are a few trees, the wind blows and the magnolia branches tremble wildly, making everyone laugh."
"What a wonderful poem!" Everyone applauded in unison.
An Xin's face stiffened, and her lips twitched: "Hey... what kind of taste is this..."
Yang Hu rubbed his hands together, eager to try, and said, "I can write this kind of poem too!"
The moment he finished speaking, he was met with countless scornful remarks. What do intellectuals hate most? It's when you say I'm not good, or that you're as good as me, or that you're better than me!
An Xin clapped her hands and said, "Brother Yang, keep it up!"
An old man said disdainfully, "Young man, don't ruin the word. Pretending to be cultured will only make you despicable."
Another old man said, "Young people these days, despite their lack of literary knowledge, are self-important. Take Jing'an's poem just now, for example—it's truly unprecedented and unparalleled! He actually claims he can do it too!"
An Xin thought, Jing An? She did remember a nun named Master Jing An.
Jing'an said smugly and disdainfully, "Flower appreciation gatherings have always been unconventional. There's no need for you to argue with laymen. Since he's so confident, why not let him compose a poem for us to see?"
Yang Hu was a little embarrassed, but thinking that he could win silver and split it with An Xin, he decided to go for it and picked up his pen to write: "There is a flower called magnolia, white as snow in the sky, the wind blows and the fragrance of the flowers spreads for miles."
An Xin's lips twitched slightly. Brother Yang's poem was indeed unconventional...
This poem was naturally ridiculed upon its release.
Yang Hu thought to himself, "My five-character lawyer's poem is no worse than that Jing'an's seven-character quatrain!"
"This kind of poetry can compare to mine? Hmph..." Jing'an scoffed, her face full of sarcasm. If An Xin knew Yang Hu's thoughts, she would definitely praise him highly. In her opinion, they were really not much different.
An Xin isn't good at expressing emotions, so naturally she can't write good poems either. But there's a saying that goes, "Those who can recite poems are no match for those who can write them!"
For money, they'd rather die than give up until they got it!
“I’ll write one too!” An Xin said with a slight smile.
Everyone glanced at An Xin, paused for a moment, and then continued to mock Yang Hu, while An Xin was blatantly ignored.
Yang Hu exclaimed in surprise, "Miss An, you can also write poetry?"
An Xin wondered: Does being able to recite poems count?
The man in the dark blue robe glanced at An Xin, then shook his head, probably not taking her seriously either.
An Xin picked up a pen casually. Calligraphy was no problem for her. She had studied everything from oracle bone script and bronze script to seal script, clerical script, cursive script, regular script, and running script. An Xin was most skilled at running script, which was elegant and unrestrained yet disciplined, similar to her personality.
An Xin penned: Tender yellow buds hold deep dreams, accompanied by the beauty of nature. Who crafted this delicate fragrance and exquisite beauty? It captivates the poet's heart.
Yang Hu's eyes widened, and after a long while, he exclaimed in amazement, "What a poem! What an amazing poem! What beautiful calligraphy! What amazing calligraphy!"
His shout drew everyone's attention. Naturally, no one believed that An Xin could write any good poems, but when they saw the characters, they couldn't help but exclaim that they were beautiful.
When they looked at the poem again, everyone's expressions were varied and colorful.
How could a girl who is only fourteen or fifteen years old write such beautiful calligraphy and poetry?!
These lines of poetry are sophisticated! Grand! Classy! Understated! Luxurious! Meaningful!
Everyone stared at An Xin in shock. Jing An, clearly possessing the pettiness of a scholar, curled her lip and said, "It was plagiarized, wasn't it!"
An Xin nearly stumbled.
This guy must have some kind of superhuman eye...
---Aside---
I also used Jin Nian Niu's comment in the article, and I found that your comments are really useful haha~
Chapter Fourteen: The Feng Family
"Whether it's plagiarized or not, we'll know once we have this girl write another one," the handsome man said with a smile.
An Xin was naturally not afraid. It was just one more poem to memorize. She smiled slightly and said, "If I compose another one, then the fifty taels of silver will be mine. Otherwise, I refuse to cooperate."
Those who came for the money were naturally unwilling to give up.
Those who came specifically for the poetry appreciation event were naturally dissatisfied.
The man crossed his arms and laughed, "If you compose another poem, I'll add another fifty taels! How about it?"
An Xin glanced at Yang Hu and saw that he was looking at her nervously. An Xin took a deep breath and said, "Knowledge really is wealth!"
****
The lush green branches, strong and graceful, sway in the wind, their petals bursting forth with the fragrance of silver blossoms and jade-like snow. A poet, seemingly understanding my sentiments, gently loosens her white robes beyond the railing. A single poem earns a hundred taels of silver, further enlivening the flower-viewing party.
An Xin tossed her pen aside and stepped forward to collect her prize money.
The man placed the money pouch in her palm and smiled slightly, saying, "May I ask your name, young lady?"
An Xin smiled slightly and said, "No."
He wasn't angry and asked, "Why?"
An Xin tossed her money pouch aside and said, "I don't know you well."
He was suddenly taken aback.
An Xin had already turned around, jumped down the steps and walked to Yang Hu, saying, "Brother Yang, here's fifty taels for you."
Yang Hu was startled and hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Miss An, you mustn't! I absolutely cannot take this money!"
An Xin casually stuffed it into his hand and said, "I never take back what I've said. We agreed to split it in half."
There was no resolute pressure in her expression, but Yang Hu did not doubt the truth of her words. She was serious. Would he make her angry if he refused?
Moreover, he was really short of money. His mother was old and seriously ill, and his meager salary as a constable was simply not enough to support her.
Just as she reached out to take it, a reckless figure rushed over and squeezed straight between An Xin and Yang Hu. The silver coins in An Xin's hand fell to the ground, and both of them were naturally jolted and stumbled.
"A good dog doesn't block the way!" It was a young girl, wearing a pale yellow floral dress, with delicate features and an arrogant demeanor.
Yang Hu frowned and said, "What a shrewish woman!"
The girl suddenly turned around and said disdainfully, "Who are you talking about?"
Yang Hu said coldly, "Of course I'm talking about you!"
The girl suddenly made a move, and An Xin's eyes narrowed; the girl actually knew kung fu!
Yang Hu was startled and hurriedly retreated. Although he was a constable, he could not learn martial arts. He only knew simple fighting techniques. The girl's moves were unique and she clearly had excellent martial arts skills.
The slap was powerful and landed squarely on Yang Hu's mouth. The girl said arrogantly, "Then I'll smash your mouth!" She then struck again, but the force of her palm was caught by another hand just before it hit Yang Hu's face.
The girl's face turned cold, and she abruptly turned her head.
An Xin stared at her coldly. She wasn't a cold person, but there were some people and some things that you couldn't help but treat coldly, especially this kind of ignorant, naive, and arrogant young girl!
"Let me go!" The girl said coldly. She was extremely talented and learned martial arts very quickly. She was loved by everyone in her family. But there was this one who didn't know his place and dared to stop her!
An Xin's palm didn't loosen but tightened instead. Her fingertips easily gripped the acupoints on the girl's wrist, and the force suddenly decreased. The unprepared girl was pulled forward by the force. An Xin suddenly raised her leg and her knee slammed heavily into the girl's lower abdomen. The girl bent over in pain. An Xin suddenly raised her fist and smashed it into the girl's face without any mercy.
You won't know there's always someone better than you until you experience hardship!
"Smack!" An Xin's heavy fist was caught by another hand. An Xin suddenly raised her eyes, a cold aura flashing in them. She kicked out with her side leg. The person who caught her froze for a moment, but then slightly dodged, avoiding her attack.
"You dare hit me!" The girl had clearly never suffered such humiliation. When An Xin attacked someone else, she suddenly struck out. Caught off guard, An Xin felt a heavy kick to her side and staggered away instantly!