My name is Chang An, your name is Gu Li

"Is it sweet?" Chang An asked when he saw Gu Li finished the candied haws in his hand and his eyebrows curved with some satisfaction.

"Sweet," Gu Li replied, and then seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Why didn't Chang Lang buy one more string just now?"

"Because...Mrs. Gu didn't give me any." Chang An joked, "They say Mrs. Gu is the most important person in the family. If Mrs. Gu doesn't let me eat, how can I dare to buy an extra bunch for myself?"

Gu Li's face began to heat up again, and she blamed herself in her heart. She was shy at that time, and her mind went blank without thinking about anything. She even forgot to ask for another string, and let her husband watch her eat all the way. Now she was laughed at, and she didn't know what to say for a moment.

At this moment, she suddenly noticed that there was some noise ahead, so she quickly pointed there and changed the subject, "Chang Lang, look over there, it seems to be quite lively."

Chang An looked in the direction she pointed - there seemed to be a newly opened store in front of him. There were a lot of people gathered in front of the store, as if they were watching the fun.

"Want to take a look?"

Gu Li nodded, and Chang An took her over. After entering, he found that this was a newly opened cloth shop. Many people were gathered at the door and did not go in. When he took Gu Li closer, he found that there was a sign at the door, and the sign read:

To celebrate the opening of our new store, we invite guests to write poems. The one who writes the best poem will receive new clothes as a gift.

The general meaning is that if you write a poem for a new store and get an A-level evaluation, you can get a nice piece of clothing.

Chang An looked around and found that in addition to the guests who came to watch the fun, there were also some scholars in long robes who were thinking with their heads down, as if they wanted to get a new piece of clothing by writing poems and share in the joy of the new store.

"Mr. Meng, you got second place!"

At this moment, a clear female voice was suddenly heard coming from the cloth shop, and then a handsome man came out with his head down.

Then several young men walked in, but only one person got the first-class grade, and listened to the female voice's introduction:

"This Mr. Wang deserves first place!"

Later, Chang An saw a young man standing by the door of the store. He should be the "Young Master Wang" that the man mentioned. He looked at the young man and felt that he had a delicate face and seemed to have seen him somewhere before.

"Chang Lang."

Just as he was thinking, Chang An felt his hand being pinched, and he turned his head to look at Gu Li beside him.

"Chang Lang, do you want to give it a try?"

Gu Li's eyes were bright, and it was unknown what he was thinking. When the people around heard Gu Li's voice, they seemed to notice Chang An, and one of the guests immediately said:

"Isn't this Mr. Chang?"

"Yes, the one next to him must be his new wife. She is really pretty."

At this time, the shop assistant heard the discussion outside and came out. Seeing Chang An and Gu Li in the crowd, he asked enthusiastically:

"Mr. Chang is here!"

The waiter returned to the store and came out with a woman. When the woman saw Chang An, she bowed respectfully and asked in a gentle voice, "Mr. Chang is here. Do you want to visit our store and write a poem?"

"If you win first place, you can also buy a new dress for your beloved."

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, Chang An asked Gu Li beside him, "Do you want to give it a try?"

Gu Li nodded, with a hint of flattery: "If Chang Lang goes, he will definitely win the first place."

Chang An smiled, without commenting, and led her to the door of the cloth shop. At this time, the woman in the cloth shop bowed to Chang An again, welcomed them into the cloth shop, and said enthusiastically: "My name is Li Mengjuan, and I would like to thank Mr. Chang for coming."

Chang An also nodded slightly at this time, as a return gesture, and then asked: "Are there any rules for this poem?"

“There are no rules, just ask the question.”

Chang An nodded, and the waiter came over with a pen and a piece of paper in his hand and handed them to Chang An. Chang An then let go of Gu Li's hand, looked at Gu Li, thought for a while, and thought of a poem. Then he picked up the pen and started writing it down on the paper...

Mr. Wang, who was standing nearby, was attracted by the sight of Chang'an starting to write without thinking for long, and could not help but walk closer to take a look.

Soon, Chang An finished writing the last stroke and put the poem aside, and Li Mengjuan took the paper and read:

"The peony is covered with dew and is like a pearl. The beauty picks it and walks through the courtyard. With a smile, she asks her lover, is the flower stronger than my appearance? Her lover is angry and says that the flower is better. He is always angry and hits people with the flower by crushing it."

Li Mengjuan thought about it for a while, and then suddenly realized: "This poem is about Mr. Chang and Ms. Gu."

Before Gu Li could react, he heard Li Mengjuan say this, and then looked at Chang An. Chang An was still smiling and did not comment on this matter.

"Although it is about the daily life of Mr. Chang and Madam Gu, Mr. Chang wrote it into a poem without any reference, which has a special kind of intimacy between the man and the concubine." Li Mengjuan looked at Gu Li and said, "Madam Gu is really lucky to have such a thoughtful husband."

Although it was a compliment from Li Mengjuan, Gu Li's cheeks still blushed when he heard it.

Chang An scratched his head a little embarrassedly and changed the subject: "What would you say about this poem, Madam Li?"

"I've heard that Mr. Chang is as talented as Li Bai. Seeing him today, I find he is indeed extraordinary." Li Mengjuan put away the poem and said, "Mr. Chang is also top-notch!"

After hearing this, all the guests couldn't help but admire it.

at this time--

"My name is Wang Wei, and I have the honor of meeting Mr. Chang today."

Chang An was stunned, and when he looked back, he saw the young man surnamed Wang coming forward. He then realized that this young man surnamed Wang was Wang Mojie. When Wang Wei saw Chang An turning around, he bowed and saluted.

Chang An quickly returned the greeting and said, "Hello, Brother Mo Jie." When Gu Li saw Chang An bowing, he also bowed.

Wang Wei was puzzled when he heard his own name and asked, "Has Lord Chang seen me?"

"I have never seen it, but I read Brother Mo Jie's "Remembering My Brothers in Shandong on the Ninth Day of the Ninth Month" a while ago, and I was deeply impressed." Chang An said sincerely, "I have also heard that Brother Mo Jie is quite talented in both painting and music theory, which is exactly what I lack."

Wang Wei was a little embarrassed by these words, and he responded: "I don't deserve it, but Mr. Chang's style and reputation are even better than mine."

"Especially after hearing about the five poems that Chang Langjun sang yesterday to urge him to get dressed, these five poems alone show his talent. Mo Jie feels ashamed of himself." Wang Wei said, looking very sincere.

Chang An felt a little embarrassed when he saw that the poem he copied was praised so much, so he changed the subject and asked, "Brother Mo Jie, why are you here today? Are you here to join in the fun?"

"I happened to pass by and came in to write a poem." Wang Wei said, thinking for a while, and then asked: "Mo Jie has a request, I wonder if Mr. Chang can agree to it."

"Brother Mojie, please speak."

"Yesterday I heard about Mr. Chang's five poems urging him to get dressed. Today I have the honor to meet him, so I want to compete in poetry with Mr. Chang, and also let Mo Jie know my shortcomings." Wang Wei said very seriously.

Chang An saw Wang Wei's sincerity and didn't know whether to refuse or agree. Instead, Gu Li beside him tugged at his clothes, which attracted him. He looked at Gu Li and saw that she seemed to be hesitant to speak, so he turned his head slightly and moved closer.

"Chang Lang, I... I also want to hear your poems..." Gu Li felt a little embarrassed, so he leaned close to his ear and said.

"Really?" Chang An was a little unconvinced, "Do you really want to hear it?"

Gu Li nodded quickly. Chang An turned around and looked at Wang Wei, who was still waiting for his response, and said, "Then I will fulfill Brother Mo Jie's wish and ask the guests at the door to make their comments. How about that?"

"That would be the best." Wang Wei said with a smile.

"Madam Li, can I borrow some paper and pen?" Chang An asked Li Mengjuan who was standing beside him.

"Of course no problem." Li Mengjuan had her reasons. It would be a good story if the two talented men competed in poetry in her new shop, and it would also add to the reputation of the cloth shop.

The waiter quickly brought paper and pen, and at the same time two other guys brought two tables and three cushions, placed them opposite each other, and spread paper and pens on the tables.

"Brother Mojie, please."

"Please come in, Mr. Chang."

Both of them politely extended their hands to invite each other to take a seat, and then sat down. Chang An did not forget to pull Gu Li down to sit as well.

Chang An looked at Wang Wei, thought for a while, and thought of a poem by Mr. Su, and then he picked up his pen and started writing. Seeing Chang An start writing, Gu Li also leaned over and started reading.

After finishing writing, Chang An raised his eyes slightly and looked at Wang Wei opposite him, and found that he must have finished thinking and just started writing. Gu Li quietly pulled the corner of his clothes and asked about the meaning of the poem. Chang An looked at Wang Wei opposite him again, and then explained the meaning of the poem to her ear.

After listening to this, Gu Li's eyes lit up slightly. He glanced at Wang Wei briefly, and finally looked back at Chang An, his eyes full of admiration.

Wang Wei had also finished writing at this time. He looked at Chang An opposite him and found that he seemed to have finished writing long ago and was waiting for him. He couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Mr. Chang, I've finished writing."

Li Mengjuan saw that both of them had finished writing, so she took their poems and asked, "Whose poem will come first, gentlemen?"

"Brother Mojie, please go first."

Li Mengjuan nodded, cleared her throat, and recited Wang Wei's poem:

"Beauty is highly valued in the world, but Xi Shi would rather remain in obscurity for long. In the morning she was a girl from Yue River, and in the evening she became a concubine in Wu Palace. When she was humble, she was no different from many others, but now she is rich, she realizes how rare she is. She invites others to apply perfume and powder on her, and does not wear silk clothes herself. Your favor makes her more charming, and your pity is impartial. At that time, she accompanied me in washing silk, but we were not allowed to go home in the same carriage. I offer my gratitude to the boy next door, but how can I hope to imitate her?"

After hearing this, Chang An couldn't help but be amazed and felt a little proud at the same time - after all, he had personally witnessed the birth of the famous poem through the ages: "Ode to Xi Shi".

Then Li Mengjuan recited Chang An's poem: "The lotus has withered and there is no rain cover, the chrysanthemum is withered but still has branches that stand proudly against the frost. You must remember the best scenery of the year, when the oranges and tangerines are green and yellow."

After the two poems were read, the guests outside the door couldn't help but nod in praise.

"What a satirical poem. It uses Xi Shi to satirize those villains protected by the powerful. It's really good." Chang An bowed and praised.

Wang Wei returned the greeting by bowing his hands, saying: "Mr. Chang's poem describes the bleak early winter so vividly, which makes me feel an open-minded and optimistic mood. It seems to be a poem to encourage others..."

As he was speaking, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Chang An, who was being stared at, and smiled back at him.

"I know that Brother Mo Jie has been frustrated over the years and feels resentful."

Wang Wei stood up at this time and said:

"I lost." Wang Wei said seriously, "I was frustrated in my career, so I took the opportunity of the poetry contest to vent my dissatisfaction. But Mr. Chang had already seen through my situation and gave me a hint with his poem."

"Whether in terms of vision or talent, Mo Jie knows he is inferior."

Chang An also stood up and said, "In fact, Brother Mo Jie's poems are not inferior to mine..."

Wang Wei stretched out his hand to interrupt Chang An and said, "If you lose, you lose. You don't have to be like this, Mr. Chang."

Chang An didn't know what to say, so Wang Wei said to Li Mengjuan, "Madam Li, I have an unwelcome request."

"Please speak, Mr. Wang."

"Could you please hang the poem written by me and Mr. Chang in your shop? This will serve as a warning to myself."

Li Mengjuan nodded, turned around and gave instructions to the waiter.