Think about it, still seriously appreciate this recent feeling, whether it is fate or should be, and the confusion and compassion that have spread in my heart. With a pretense of being open-minded, she has no reason to just go along with it. She watched me anxiously pacing, smiling lightly while slowly thinking, until at this moment, seeing that I might have already calmed down to write, she finally gave a silent reply, not a riddle made for effect; she merely looked at me, her gaze wandering a few times in the small building, and as she looked on, what she saw was indeed no longer unfamiliar.
Although it has already gathered some dust, the hanging green vine is still lush, filling the bookshelf that has turned a few pages, leaning on the lotus tea tray is a Ru kiln small horse, a purple clay Xishi teapot, and a tea cup that is no longer dark purple clay but bright red clay, along with a three-talent covered bowl adorned with Tang grass patterns. Two ladies dressed in long green skirts representing clarity and business are resting slightly, also gathering some dust, while the Ru kiln tea cup and purple clay teapot still hold an unblemished antique shelf. Looking at the nearby Shoushan stone carved with double dragons, behind it is a piece of ink writing saying "Clear Stream," which, after such a long time, still seems as bright as if it had not dried. The covered bowl and inkstone beside it reflect the strokes of the poetry and commentary I wrote by hand back then, still so clear, not significantly aged or damaged by the dust blown in these past two days. Perhaps it is because the ink ground back then was indeed pure, just like the graceful figure depicted in the hanging "Ink Plum Blossom" painting on the wall, shining in contrast. Speaking of which, I feel that this Ru kiln tiger pen, which has been resting for a long time, should be set down with the Yunsong ink block that has also been sleeping for a long time, as it has been a long time since I last washed the brush and ground ink, and I have not yet completely forgotten how to do so. Thinking this way, perhaps it is just a moment of reverie and daydreaming, yet at this moment, the satisfaction surging in my heart is not a deliberate contemplation or heartfelt joy.
It doesn't have to be much; I don't just have a covered bowl; I also have so many long-term companions. Although these many items are not adorned with gold and jade or exquisite craftsmanship, they cannot compare to other families' palace Ru kiln or the unparalleled purple clay of other buildings, yet this bowl and this teapot, this cup and this pair, are precisely what I have carefully selected and intentionally brought to settle in my narrow little building. There is no need for any kind of reverence or praise; if I think about brewing some tea, I need not worry about anyone's thoughts. Just wash them casually and directly add the tea; thinking this way, I truly possess the thoughts of heaven and earth, perhaps it is not such a wild claim after all.
Thus, thinking deeply, where is this heaven and earth merely her private property? Heaven and earth and the world are the unique heaven and earth and the world at the same time; everyone's heaven and earth is this unique heaven and earth, and everyone's world is also this unique world. Further contemplating, as the "ruler" of this heaven and earth, and as the "prince" of this world, since I can hold in my hands this "territory" represented by the red clay small cup that already has tea, there is no need to exhaust myself in search of the ethereal Penglai fairy mountain.
Thinking about whether it is for that which has not yet been obtained, perhaps the fairy medicine that is available, and losing this moment's world of the covered bowl and teapot at hand, the title of a foolish ruler is probably not very pleasant to hear. It might be better to carefully wash this covered bowl and teapot, and wipe the dust from the green vine and bookshelf, which would be more flavorful.
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The original link is https://nishikori.tech/posts/prose/2020-01-13