第七十八章 一局诗谜容骚客集 三椽老屋酒借古人传 (Chapter 78: A Gathering of Literary Guests for Poetry Riddles in the Three-Beam Old House, with Wine Borrowed from Ancient Traditions)

Yang Xingyuan received He Jianchen's invitation to attend a poetry riddle gathering at the Three-Beam Old House. He found the idea quite intriguing.

The old house was situated in a secluded area south of the city. Its owner was a distant relative of He Jianchen, and it had long been uninhabited. He Jianchen had borrowed it temporarily and arranged it with elegant simplicity.

Yang Xingyuan arrived as scheduled. He saw that several literary guests had already gathered inside. Besides He Jianchen, there were Wu Bibo, Shi Chengran, and a few colleagues from the newspaper office. Everyone exchanged warm greetings, creating a lively atmosphere.

He Jianchen said, "Today's gathering is dedicated to poetry riddles. I have prepared some modest wine. Let us drink while guessing. Those who fail to guess correctly shall be penalized with a cup of wine. How does that sound?" Everyone replied, "Excellent!"

Then He Jianchen took out pre-written poetry riddle slips and pasted them on the wall. There were over a dozen. The clues were all drawn from Tang and Song poetry. The answers could be names of ancient figures, place names, or object names.

Wu Bibo pointed to one riddle first. The clue was "The spring breeze turns the south bank green again." It required guessing an ancient figure's name. Everyone pondered for a while. Shi Chengran said, "Could it be 'Su Qin'? The spring breeze symbolizes Su, and the green bank symbolizes Qin." He Jianchen clapped his hands and laughed. "Exactly!" He then penalized those who had not guessed correctly, each drinking a cup.

Next, Yang Xingyuan drew a riddle. The clue was "The Big Dipper shines high." It required guessing a line from the Book of Songs. Yang Xingyuan reflected briefly and said, "Is it 'In the north, there is the Dipper'?" He Jianchen nodded in agreement. Everyone praised Yang Xingyuan for his erudition.

Halfway through the game, they grew slightly tipsy from the wine. They paused from guessing and chatted casually. Wu Bibo said, "Although this old house is simple, it carries an antique charm. It reminds one of the ancient pleasure of floating wine cups along winding streams."

Shi Chengran added, "It is a pity that people today are busy with fame and fortune. Few have such leisure. We have stolen half a day of idleness today. That is quite rare."

Yang Xingyuan sighed. "Exactly. Gatherings and partings in life are unpredictable. Such an elegant gathering, who knows when we might experience it again?" His words carried a touch of melancholy.

He Jianchen quickly urged them to drink. "Let us enjoy the moment. Why dwell on such thoughts? Come, everyone, drink another cup!" They all raised their cups and drank together. The atmosphere turned cheerful once more.

Afterwards, they guessed a few more riddles until the sun set in the west. Then they dispersed. Yang Xingyuan walked back with Wu Bibo. On the way, they discussed the day's poetry riddles, still feeling the lingering excitement.

Wu Bibo said, "Xingyuan, you are truly proficient in poetry riddles. I must seek your advice another day." Yang Xingyuan laughed. "It is merely an occasional pastime. Not worth mentioning."

After they parted, Yang Xingyuan returned alone to the Guild Hall. Under the night lamp, he recalled the day's scenes. He could not help but recite, "A game of poetry riddles hosts literary guests. The three-beam old house borrows from the ancients."

Thus, the day's elegant gathering became a memory.