Chapter Eleven: The Ancestral Brick-Lifting Memory Technique

After reviewing "The Hundred Family Surnames" and "The Thousand Character Classic," Su Lu heard his aunt calling for lunch, and only then did he realize how hungry he was—his stomach was growling incessantly. After a morning of intense study, his belly was long since empty, even the sorghum porridge had been thoroughly digested.

Lunch, naturally, was sorghum flatbread. The freshly steamed bread was soft and fluffy, suitable for both the elderly and children. Dipped in a bit of fermented bean curd, the aroma was irresistible. Su Lu devoured three large pieces in a row, earning a dramatic eye roll from his aunt.

"Had your fill? Come help me deliver lunch," his younger aunt pulled him away from the table.

Once Su Lu and his young aunt had gone downstairs, his aunt ladled a small bowl of steaming egg custard from the big pot, adding a few drops of fragrant sesame oil. The old patriarch had already finished eating and gone to lie down, so only the old matriarch and little Jinbao were left at the table, both salivating at the sight.

She handed each of them a spoon. "Eat up while it's hot, or it'll taste fishy when cold."

"Does Qiu get any?" the old matriarch asked, swallowing saliva, while little Jinbao looked hopefully at his mother.

"Of course, I've left some for him in the pot," the aunt replied offhandedly, knowing full well the old lady was both hard of hearing and forgetful.

"Ah," the old matriarch replied, understanding this much, and together with little Jinbao began to eat the egg custard, taking turns spoonful by spoonful.

~

Meanwhile, Su Lu followed his young aunt through the streets and alleys toward the drying yard.

She rummaged through the basket of food, then said, "Open your mouth wide, let me see if you have any heat sores."

Su Lu, a bit puzzled, obeyed. In a flash, she popped a shelled boiled egg into his mouth.

His eyes went wide with surprise, lips unable to close.

"You've been working hard with your studies, this is to nourish you," she whispered. "Hurry and eat, don't let anyone see. If your aunt gets wind of this, it'll be trouble."

"Ah—" Su Lu almost choked. He struggled to chew and swallow the egg, finally sighing with relief, "You're the best, Auntie."

"Of course," she laughed. "I saw them steaming the egg custard in the pot. I figured there wouldn't be any left for you..."

"That's normal," Su Lu smiled wryly. With so many elders and children at home, the good stuff was never meant for him.

"From now on, I'll make sure you get an egg every day. You study hard, get into the academy, and show your aunt what you're made of," she promised.

"Mm," Su Lu nodded. He had planned to take the academy exam anyway.

As they spoke, they arrived at the drying yard.

Dust billowed across the yard. People used wooden shovels to toss the harvested sorghum into the wind. The light husks, broken leaves, and dust were carried away by the breeze, while the heavier sorghum grains fell back to the ground—this process was called "winnowing."

But it was hard to get it all clean in one go; it took many repetitions to separate all the grains. Afterward, they still had to sift the sorghum with a sieve to remove the last bits of debris before spreading it out to dry under the sun.

Watching his father and brothers, their faces and hair caked with dust, sweat carving muddy tracks down their necks, Su Lu felt a wave of guilt. Compared to their backbreaking labor, his efforts at practicing calligraphy seemed almost trivial.

"It's filthy here, go back inside!" Su Youcai waved him off. "If you don't want to suffer like this, get into the academy!"

"Yes, Father!" Su Lu nodded earnestly, taking a deep breath of the air, thick with the scent of grain and dust.

~

Back home, Su Lu washed his face and returned to his room to begin his afternoon pen control exercises.

After drawing a hundred vertical lines, his arm ached terribly, clear proof the morning's fatigue had not yet worn off. But mental strength was a powerful thing—every time he thought of his father and brothers sweating in the yard, he found he simply couldn't stop.

Carefully, he completed all eight hundred lines for the afternoon, until his right arm felt no longer his own.

Clearly, this couldn't go on. Su Lu resolved to strengthen his muscles, hoping to develop strong arms as soon as possible.

He found a blue brick to use as a dumbbell and did six sets of "dumbbell curls." For balance, he did six sets with his left hand as well.

His aunt, picking vegetables in the courtyard, clicked her tongue. "You're going to burst, aren't you? Eating so much and not working."

She was sharp-tongued by nature, and ever since Su Lu insisted on studying, she'd had even less to say in his favor.

Su Lu sighed inwardly, wishing she were mute. But his mind was mature—he wouldn't let her spoil his mood. Still, a little counterattack was necessary, lest she think him an easy target. He put on a serious face and said, "Aunt, you don't know—this is called the 'brick-lifting memory method.' The reason I suddenly became sharp is because I dreamed of a bearded sage in a square cap, leaning on a bamboo staff, who taught me this technique."

"Nonsense," she scoffed, not believing a word.

"If you don't believe me, think: how many characters did I know before? And how many do I know now?" Su Lu continued lifting the brick, bringing it up to his face with each repetition.

"Hmm, that's true..." She drew in a sharp breath. Of all people, she knew best what he had been like before.

"You see, it looks like I'm lifting a brick, but actually, I'm memorizing texts. As long as I keep this up, I never forget a thing," Su Lu continued gravely. "If you want to memorize well, you have to move; if you want to memorize fast, you have to lift a brick."

"Ridiculous..." Yet her tone betrayed a hint of doubt.

"See for yourself." Su Lu, lifting the brick, began fluently reciting the "Introduction to Rhymes" he had learned the night before:

"Moon behind gauze, clouds drifting from the peaks. The night grows deep, time drips away. The mountains are cloaked in deep blue, the ripples in the water are green silk. Lamps brighten the dusk, music and chess fill the white daylight. Willows combed by the wind, emerald and long, crabapples after rain, rouge revealed..."

The verses were melodious and easy on the ear, impressive in their rhythm. His aunt listened, utterly transfixed, craning her neck for more.

"Do you believe me now? This is what I mean: to memorize well, you must exercise; to memorize fast, lift a brick." Having finished reciting, Su Lu placed the brick on the windowsill, sighing with mock regret, "Alas, Aunt, if only you could read, but telling you is of no use."

With that, he ignored her stupefied expression, washed his hands, and went inside.

She paused in her vegetable-picking, glanced at the portrait of Su Dongpo hanging in the main room, then back at the brick, shaking her head. "Nonsense—only a fool would believe that."

~

Settling at his desk, Su Lu pushed the joke out of his mind and began his third round of memorizing "Introduction to Rhymes."

This time, he used transcription as a memorization technique. Not only did this help reinforce his memory, but it also helped him quickly master writing in traditional characters.

Su Lu had considered making a conversion table between simplified and traditional characters, focusing on memorizing only those that had been simplified. But on second thought, he realized that would be counterproductive—he'd have to keep checking the table, and it would reinforce a mental separation between the two forms, as if learning a foreign language.

It was better to let daily repetitive copying slowly wear away the simplified forms in his mind, allowing a natural transition.

Though this approach was slow, it was more reliable. After all, memorization required extensive writing, which also improved his penmanship—a triple benefit. It was actually more efficient and less taxing than trying to memorize conversions separately.

~

After dinner, Su Youcai resumed his lessons with Su Lu.

First came homework inspection. He took the practice sheet his son handed over, checking his pen control for the day.

Not only had Su Lu completed double the required amount, but he also avoided the common pitfalls of deteriorating quality or losing focus midway. From the first to the last line, he maintained consistent effort.

It was clear Su Lu was consciously controlling the brush. There were minor flaws, but that was because he was using a worn-out brush—deliberately given by Su Youcai to expose weaknesses in control and force more precise pressure.

Of course, it was a miserable and grueling experience—but special training should look like special training. Su Youcai wasn't suffering, so he wasn't bothered.

Still, the unscrupulous father was quite pleased. The exercise showed Su Lu's steady mindset and determined perseverance—he was mature beyond his years.

Su Youcai couldn't help but sigh: if he'd had that kind of mentality back in the day, how could he have failed to earn a scholarly rank?

"Damn, now I'm making myself feel inferior..." He smiled wryly, then drew a sequence of lines—gradually increasing in length, then decreasing—and instructed, "Tomorrow, copy these long and short lines, continue practicing pen control."

"Yes," Su Lu nodded, noting down the assignment.

~

Next came recitation. Su Youcai joked, "Don't tell me you've memorized it already?"

"Pretty much," Su Lu answered with a smile. "You were right, Father, 'Introduction to Rhymes' is quite easy to memorize."

"Easy or not, you can't finish it all in one day!" Su Youcai protested, a bit incredulous. Clearing his throat, he tested, "In the orchid garden, spring breezes waft sweet fragrance—"

"Bamboo pavilion, autumn moon casts uneven shadows," Su Lu replied without hesitation.

"Three paths of yellow chrysanthemums, dusted with frost—"

"A courtyard of fragrant grass, dew beaded like pearls," Su Lu answered.

"Spring's sorrow revealed by twin purple swallows—"

"Afternoon dreams recalled by a lone yellow gull," Su Lu completed.

"Impressive, boy, let's try some harder ones." Su Youcai continued testing, giving Su Lu twenty more challenging lines, all of which he answered flawlessly. Then, thinking a bit, he tried, "Contentment is wisdom, Su Guang wrote to say he was old—"

"Enduring humiliation, Tao Qian resigned and returned to his fields," Su Lu answered.

"Much seen and experienced, how many truly understand human affairs—"

"Well-read and knowledgeable, boundless accomplishments are praised as rare..." The paired couplets were so easy to memorize that, on hearing the first part, the second sprang to Su Lu's mind without thought.

Unconvinced, Su Youcai tested him on a hundred pairs—he didn't miss a single one.

"Your memory is uncanny, boy—I thought it would take you at least two days," he admitted, finally convinced. Still curious about Su Lu's limits, he produced a slim book, "Ancient and Modern Couplets":

"This book is similar to 'Introduction to Rhymes'—also about five thousand words, but divided by word count, not rhyme, so it's harder to memorize. Let's see if you can finish it in a day."

Su Lu calculated—tomorrow he didn't need to review "The Hundred Family Surnames" or "The Thousand Character Classic," only repeat "Introduction to Rhymes" a fourth time. The review load was light. He nodded, "I'll try."

"Good," Su Youcai said, knowing his son—and that when Su Lu said he'd try, he was almost certain to succeed.

He had Su Lu read through "Ancient and Modern Couplets" once to check for unfamiliar characters—not a single one was new.

Su Youcai couldn't help but sigh—if all students were like this, how many years would he add to his life? Provided, of course, his pride could take it.

Thus, the day's lessons ended on a cheerful note.

~

Meanwhile, in the west side room, his uncle stared at his aunt in bewilderment. "Are you crazy? What are you doing bringing a brick inside?"

In her hands was the brick Su Lu had left on the windowsill. She declared solemnly, "You might not believe it, but as long as you hold this while reciting, you'll never forget a thing."

"Nonsense," her husband grumbled.

"This technique was passed down by your Su ancestors. Try it—there's no harm. If it works, Chun can stop struggling with his studies..." She pushed the brick into his hands.

"I'm not doing it!" he refused.

"Will you or won't you?" she demanded, eyes wide.

"No, even if you beat me, I won't do it! Silly woman, letting a child make a monkey of you."

"Fine, don't do it," she huffed, shoving the brick under the pillow. "When Chun gets home, I'll have him try!"

End of section.