Zhang Luan, the fifth generation descendant of Zhang Tongtai, really shouldn't be a businessman. He has no interest in doing business at all. This situation became more obvious after he married Lu Xianqin, a talented woman in Hangzhou at that time. Miss Lu's poems and songs are all impassable, and she was called Xiao Li Qingzhao when she was a girl. Wedding night, the young couple jokingly, Zhang Luan said to his wife, if you want to do Li Qingzhao, I can do Zhao Mingcheng! I didn't expect this joke of the young couple to affect Zhang Lu 'an's life.

It turns out that Zhang Lu 'an loved stone seal cutting since he was a child, and he enjoyed it even more when he became an adult. He not only achieved high attainments in seal cutting, but also collected a large number of prints and seals. Therefore, he became a member of Xiling Printing Society very early. Usually the business in the store is taken care of by reliable people, and I live in Shanghai more often.

With the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, China's national bourgeoisie formed and developed. Like Zhang Lu 'an, they also had some new business consciousness. At that time, Zhang Tongtai was undergoing another reconstruction. Zhang Lu 'an made a relief of an elephant and evergreen on the top of the new gate of the drugstore, and thus recognized Zhang Tongtai's "Vientiane" trademark. When rebuilding this gate, Zhang Lu 'an had an idea. He thought that it was not easy for his ancestors to create a gold-lettered signboard of Zhang Tongtai. Therefore, he must really make several large gold-lettered signboards to hang on both sides of the gate to make it a veritable gold-lettered signboard.

Zhang Luan thought about it, and felt that these words could only be written by Zhang Daqian, a native of Neijiang, Sichuan Province, who met and became good friends not long ago. But considering that he is only two or three years older than himself, although he is talented and a little famous, he is only twenty or thirty years old after all, and he is always unwilling to hang his words on the door. However, he still told Zhang Daqian what he thought.

That Zhang is self-aware, too. He said, how can I hang my words? Things do happen by mistake. If you know that this Zhang Daqian will become a world-famous master in the future, then even if his handwriting skill is almost poor, Zhang Luan will insist that he write it, but where can you know his "future"? At that time, Zhang Daqian said, I think you must ask this person to write these words. This man is my teacher, Ceng Xi ...

As a member of Xiling Printing Society, Zhang Luan certainly knows Ceng Xi, a well-known figure. He was a native of Hengyang, Hunan Province, and was a farmer in his later years. He was a scholar in the 29th year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, and once gave a lecture at Shigu Academy. After the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the official career of this Jinshi was hopeless, and Shigu Academy no longer existed. In his later years, such a well-educated university was reduced to the point where Shanghai lived by selling words on the streets. He is the first famous teacher that young Zhang Daqian worshipped after he left Sichuan. At that time, when it comes to calligraphy, Ceng Xi was indeed one of the best figures. Moreover, his handwriting is especially suitable for making shop signs.

"Yes, since Zeng Lao is selling words, it is nothing more than a question of money. This is easy to handle. I will pay whatever price he wants!" Zhang Tongtai's young boss really has deep pockets. He said so with a wave of his hand.

Zhang Daqian smiled: "You don't know that Mr. Zeng is selling words, but he is also famous for his strange temper. There are several things he never wrote in his life: for example, he never wrote a tombstone to anyone, saying it would bring him bad luck; He never wrote a shop sign to anyone, saying it would make him stink; He didn't write flattering inscriptions for dignitaries, saying that he wouldn't let people say that he was flattering when he was old ... He flatly refused to write your signboards. I dare not touch this nail ... "

Zhang Luan also smiled:" I'll go if you won't. I believe in the saying,' If you are sincere, the stone will open'. Just wait and see if I beg Mr. Zeng's Mo Bao! "

Needless to say, the Hunan Guild Hall where Mr. Ceng Xi sells calligraphy is not far from Zhang Luan's residence in Shanghai. On that day, Zhang Luan quickly found that place. On a cold day, the old man was sitting in a small room with ventilated walls in the guild hall, coughing like an old shrimp. The bleak scene made Zhang Luan's tears come out. He came back quietly without disturbing the old gentleman.

the next day, Zhang Lu' an asked the old maid at home to add rock sugar to Chuanbei Sydney red wine and stew a hot pot. He wrapped it in a cotton handkerchief and took it to Hunan Guild Hall. At that time, Mr. Zeng was coughing up a ball. When Zhang Lu 'an put the can of very hot Chuanbei Sydney red wine in front of him, the old man was really taken aback. Zhang Lu 'an told Mr. Zeng that he was a friend of his protege Zhang Daqian and was entrusted by Zhang Daqian to visit Mr. Zeng. He runs a pharmacy at home, and these things are ready-made in my home. Drink quickly, and your cough will be better if you drink it. Later, he said he would come to see Mr. Wang every day until Mr. Wang stopped coughing. The next day, when Zhang Lu 'an came with Chuanbei Sydney, he also brought a leather robe ... After that, he really had a can of Chuanbei Sydney every day until the old man stopped coughing. The old man is a child prodigy. He stopped coughing and spoke smoothly, and then the words came out: "Your boy is so kind to me, he must want something from me. If you write a nave and a couplet in the living room, I'll start grinding ink. However, if you run a business or a pharmacy, you must want me to write a signboard for you. I'm going to put the words in my head, so you should give up this idea quickly. Old Beard Weng can't defile these cans of Chuanbei Sydney and a leather robe for the rest of his life ... The signboard of this shop, even if you kill Old Beard, Old Beard will definitely not write it! "

Zhang Lu' an secretly complained. God, he actually sealed his words before him. However, although Zhang Lu 'an didn't ask for it, he still came here from time to time. He saw that the inkpad used by Zeng Xi was dull. On this day, he brought a box of inkpad. When the old man opened it, his old eyes suddenly brightened.

It turns out that Zhang Lu 'an, a member of Xiling Printing Society, has studied the formula of inkpad repeatedly for many years, just like his ancestors studied Chuanbei Pipa Cream Yangdan Pill and Saikong Qingyan Eye Drops. Condensed with painstaking efforts into a special kind of inkpad. This kind of inkpad, with its scarlet color, is extremely gorgeous, impervious and never fades. It is called "Lu 'an inkpad" by insiders and is collected as a treasure. This kind of inkpad is fried more expensive than gold. At that time, there was a master in Beijing who came out of the palace to make inkpad called Xu Zhengan, and his inkpad was the best in the world. After Zhang Lu 'an's inkpad came out, the painting and calligraphy circles bought inkpad, and there was a saying that the inkpad of the two men was inseparable. At that time, Ceng Xi, an expert, recognized the color of the inkpad at once. He said in a trembling voice, "This is Lu 'an inkpad ..."

"I'm Zhang Lu 'an, a fellow of Xiling Printing Society. There is a saying that a sword is given to a hero, and a famous flower is given to a beauty. Only the old man can use this kind of inkpad. This box of inkpad is given to the old man ... "

At this moment, Ceng Xi's hands were shaking with excitement. The toothless mouth "this, this, this is something more expensive than gold ..." He didn't know what to say for a long time. Finally, he looked at Zhang Tongtai's boss and gritted his teeth and said, "Come on, what do you want to write? Write as many as you want except the signboard ... "

Then, they sat down face to face. The old man Ceng Xi leaned over his upper body, and he took out his heart: "Little brother, I sell words, and I also know that if I am willing to write shop signs on this beach, money will roll in. But, in this way, when you get to Nanjing Road, at first glance, it's all my Ceng Xi's words. Words are the most feared thing, and if there are too many words, no matter how well you write them, they will be abused. If they are abused, they will be scolded. Why should my old man be scolded when he dies? It's not like you've never seen silver before, is it? There's a lot of money at home, just a three-foot bed. The old man doesn't need much money. Therefore, I can't open this signboard. I wrote a signboard of Tongtai today, and then Li Tongtai and Wang Tongtai will come to me, so I can't talk to others ... "

At this time, Zhang Luan also said," I don't want the old man to write a signboard, I just want the old man to write a nave. It was a poem. More than a hundred years ago, my ancestor Zhang Mei came to Hangzhou from Majing Village in Cixi alone, creating such a family business. He wrote a poem to show his children. I want to write it down, frame it and hang it at home to warn future generations ... "

" Yes, I will write it. " Ceng Xi answered simply.

Then, a small piece of paper was handed to Mr. Ceng Xi, and there really was a poem on it:

Cixi Ma Jing-Zhang Mei,

I agree that I can't turn my head back.

I just want the common people to be healthy,

I don't regret it if I care about morality.

everything is sought from the north and the south, and

careful pharmaceutical care pays off.

I'm turned to ashes,

People's word of mouth is a grave monument.

Ceng Xi threw the little piece of paper away and smiled: "It's nonsense, even the balance is not smooth!"

Zhang Lu' an pushed the paper back again: "I have read a little less books about my ancestor, but his son Zhang Naixian is different. He got a juren at the age of 2 ..."

"Juren is worth nothing. I've still met a scholar after the Western Empress Dowager, so I don't end up selling words on the street?" However, he took the paper. "How about we make it smoother?"

"can't change, not a word! If you change it, it will not be my ancestors' poems. If you write a poem by Zhang Mei, no one will laugh at you! However, to be fair, although this poem is not well done, isn't the true feelings of my ancestors on the paper? "

Ceng Xi started to write, but he was still muttering. What a person who doesn't know anything about leveling, but he is so good at making money, and the money he earns is easy to hit the wall, while you are well-educated, but you are going to starve to death in the streets ...

Finally, the character seller made a payment according to the rules, and used the newly obtained Lu 'an inkpad to mark the big seal of "Huiyan Peak under the old beard". Zhang Luan accepted it with joy.

Three months later, two polished bronze medals appeared on both sides of the newly renovated Zhangtongtai Gate in Hangzhou, with 14 big gold characters of "Authentic Medicinal Materials of Zhangtongtai" displayed in front of the world. There was also Ceng Xi's signature on the side. People studied the word carefully and found that it was really written by everyone. The more they read it, the more enduring it became, and the more mysterious it became. Even Zhang Daqian came to see it and found that it was really the teacher's handwriting, and he was suddenly amazed. He asked Zhang Lu 'an how to get Mr. Wang's signature. Zhang Lu 'an smiled and showed the so-called ancestor's poem. Sure enough, there is a word embedded in each of the first seven sentences of the eight-sentence poem ...

It is said that at the end of the second year, Zhang Daqian took Ceng Xi back to Hangzhou for the New Year. At the gate of Zhang Tongtai, the old man saw these two bronze medals, and the old man suddenly lost his temper. Finally, Zhang Tongtai's boss reached a compromise with him, and Zhang Lu 'an took down the signature on the spot before the old man was willing to give up. Therefore, people in later generations will see these two bronze medals at the gate of Zhang Tongtai again, and they will find that they have no signature. As for Zhang Lu 'an's forged poems about his ancestors, although he didn't hang them, he obviously engraved them in his heart, and he regarded the public's word of mouth as his grave. After liberation, he was the first to implement public-private partnership in his own enterprise. In his later years, he also donated all the seals and prints of his priceless treasures to Xiling Printing Society. He is the best one who has donated the most private collections since the establishment of Xiling Printing Society ...