Painting Chronicle - Youth Motivational Legend

Author: Sha Yanwang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: On a summer night in Suzhou City, the bustling and crowded streets and markets of the day have fallen silent. In the distance, only the rhythmic claps of the night watchmen's clappers can be heard, "Tuk-tuk." However, in the long and short alleys, it is the time when the people have finished their evening meals and taken a bath to seek shade. Neighboring families sit together, telling stories and discussing news, the atmosphere mostly lively and cheerful. As for the alleys behind South Street, the topic tonight is mainly about the He Family's pawn shop. "Do you know that my master's female clerk is getting married?" the He Family's pawn shop assistant Li San, a clever young man, first brings up the topic. "How could I not know? This is also one of the big news of South Street this year," said Zhang Bo, stroking his goat beard wisely. "The Jiang Family must have seen the skill of Yu clerk, and marrying her will help them manage their finances." "No way? The Jiang Family are scholars, and they don't do business. What kind of wealth do they need Yu clerk to manage?" Li San disagrees. "Not for managing wealth, why would they take a middle-aged woman in her twenties as a concubine? Besides, that Yu clerk is plain-looking and frail." Zhang Bo implies that the Jiang Family would not marry her for the sake of their descendants. Zhang Chen, who was nearby, was not happy. "Husband, how do you know Yu clerk is plain-looking? When she looks at things or checks ledgers, she is always behind the curtain, heard but not seen." "Cough, a woman's appearance is not something you have to see to know if it's good or bad," Zhang Bo replied dismissively to his wife's question. "Think about it, which pretty girl in our South Street area didn't have a reputation before getting married? If that Yu clerk were beautiful, she wouldn't still be at the He Family now." "Yes, I agree with that!" Li San nodded in agreement with Zhang Bo's reasoning. "As assistants, we occasionally hear Yu clerk speak from behind the curtain, and her tone and voice are not like ordinary women, especially that charm, it's a bit like the old He scholar from before." "Sigh—" the scholar Gu Mr. sighed deeply after staying silent. "When it comes to the He scholar, his knowledge was indeed excellent. But he was arrogant due to his talent, leading to his failure in the imperial examinations. He had no choice but to take over the He Family's pawn shop as an inheritance. If he hadn't been fond of drinking and disillusioned with the world, we wouldn't have had such a strange female clerk here." "Father, what you said doesn't make sense," Gu Mr.'s youngest daughter Shuyu couldn't help but interrupt. "What is so strange about Yu clerk? How is she inferior to the male clerks? When it comes to literature, she is good at identifying antiques and calligraphy; when it comes to martial arts, she is skilled at calculating ledgers." Shuyu had a reason for saying this. Gu Mr. had no sons, only three daughters—Wenyu, Shiyu, and Shuyu, which he always considered a regret. Shuyu felt resentful: Why aren't girls considered part of the family lineage? "What's the use of a girl being smart? She will eventually have to marry," Gu Mr. said sadly. Li San also felt a bit downhearted. "Yu clerk has been managing the pawn shop since she was fifteen. Especially since her uncle, the scholar in charge, passed away a few years ago, although the He Family has lost money on several major business decisions, the He Family's pawn shop has still managed to...