The yard was filled with the smell of ink.
The smell of Xuan paper also wafted in the air.
"Teacher Wang."
"Yo, Mr. Liu."
"Master Chen is here too. Where did you come from?"
"I came from Shanghai. It's Old Master Wei's birthday, so I had to come."
They were all from the same circle, so no one was unfamiliar with them. Old friends gathered in groups of twos and threes to chat. It looked like they had not seen each other in a long time.
Zhang Ye was the only one left in the corner. Many people saw him, but they did not know him. Seeing him wearing sunglasses and looking so young, no one bothered with him. Su Na was also taken away by Father Su to greet his old friends. Wu Zeqing was still chatting with others, so Zhang Ye found a chair and sat down. He did not eat breakfast, so he tried the snacks on the table. They were quite delicious, so he poured himself a cup of hot tea and began munching on melon seeds. He really did not treat himself as an outsider at all.
"Who is this person?"
"I don't think I know him."
"Who brought his family? Is he that hungry? "
"I think he came with Teacher Su's daughter."
"Old Su's son-in-law? That can't be. I've known Old Su my entire life. Why haven't I seen this kid before? Little Nana is not married, so it can't be. "
A few people gave Zhang Ye sidelong glances.
Zhang Ye also felt that he was being too casual. He coughed and stopped eating.
It was unknown when Wu Zeqing had walked over. Today, she had changed into a beige qipao. The red flowers on it were very eye-catching. For the past few days, she had been wearing a qipao with a sweater or coat draped over it. Her high heels were also beige, making her look especially alluring.
"Are you eating?" Wu Zeqing smiled.
Zhang Ye smiled and stood up, "I didn't eat this morning, so I'm hungry."
Wu Zeqing pressed her hands down, "Eat your food, it's fine."
Zhang Ye said, "If I had known that today would be the Calligraphy Association's anniversary, I wouldn't have come. I'm not from this circle, and I don't know much about calligraphy. If I had known, I would have given you a birthday present alone. Man, I didn't have the time today, and I didn't bring anything with me."
Wu Zeqing smiled warmly, "There's no need for gifts. It's fine even if you don't know calligraphy. I invited you here to introduce you to this circle. You are in cultural work, so there's no harm in getting to know more people. Hur Hur. Alright, go ahead and eat. I'll go greet a few old friends."
"Sister Wu."
"Teacher Wu."
Someone else was outside the door.
Wu Zeqing walked over with a smile.
After a while, almost everyone had arrived.
"Everyone, calm down. Hehe, listen to me." At this moment, a very famous old calligrapher spoke. He gathered everyone and said, "Today is the 31st anniversary of the Calligraphy Association. Thank you everyone for participating and congratulating us. I've been writing all my life, so I'm not very good with words. I won't say too much. I think we should stick to the old rules. Let's first compete for the prize before we eat. How about it?"
"Alright!"
"We'll listen to you."
"Haha, it's another competition?"
"Master Zhou, what's this year's prize?"
Everyone was expecting this as they asked with a chuckle.
Every year, the Calligraphy Association's gathering would always have this segment.
The old calligrapher, Master Zhou, curled his lips slightly and waved to his two disciples beside him. He got them to spread out a piece of calligraphy in mid-air, "I'll make a fool of myself. This is a piece of calligraphy I wrote a year ago. I'll use it as a prize now. Same rules. Whoever wins first place gets to keep the prize!"
Master Zhou's calligraphy?
This year, he had really gone all out!
Everyone knew that a piece of calligraphy by Elder Zhou, even an ordinary one, could be sold for tens of thousands. If it was a good piece of calligraphy, such as this long piece of calligraphy today, if it was auctioned, it could be sold for hundreds of thousands even if it was low. If it was too high, it would be hard to count. If someone really liked it, they would even be willing to bid for it for hundreds of thousands!
"Good calligraphy!"
"Elder Zhou is really generous!"
"Then we won't stand on ceremony!"
Everyone was eager to give it a try. They were very envious.
Su Na left her father's side and came over to Zhang Ye's side.
"Teacher Su." Zhang Ye also looked at the piece of calligraphy in amazement, "Who is this?"
Su Na nearly fainted, "Ah? You don't even know Master Zhou? He's one of the few calligraphy masters still alive. Do you really not care about anything other than the entertainment circle? "
Zhang Ye exclaimed in admiration, "This calligraphy is so artistic!"
Su Na said, "Of course. Just the name of Master Zhou is enough to attract people who love calligraphy. A single draft is worth a lot." Zhang Ye had eaten a hundred calligraphy skill books.
This time, his eye for calligraphy and appreciation had increased by several levels. He knew that the calligraphy in front of him was no ordinary work. It was several times better than President Wu's calligraphy, or it could be said that it was not on the same level. President Wu's calligraphy standards were high and she was famous in the industry, but Wu Zeqing was not a professional. Calligraphy was just a hobby for her. President Wu's eyes were on her career, but Master Zhou was different. He was a professional. He only focused on one thing his entire life, so his standards were naturally different!
Su Na glanced at him, "You like this piece of calligraphy too?"
"It's alright." Zhang Ye only felt that the calligraphy was very good. He did not have any other thoughts. His heart was not in the field of calligraphy. It was no exaggeration to say that this piece of calligraphy to Zhang Ye was not even comparable to Wu Zeqing's nude "artistic photos". How awesome would that be!
A bunch of losers!
They really did not understand art!
Seeing these people fighting over a piece of lousy calligraphy, Zhang Ye truly despised them from the bottom of his heart. You don't even look at Wu Zeqing's voluptuous legs. You don't even look at Wu Zeqing's breasts that could nearly burst open her qipao. What's there to look at? It's no wonder many people who dabbled in the arts lived their lives alone. That's all you have. You don't even know that a mountain of gold is right in front of you.
Zhang Ye believed that he was the one who understood art the best. Hence, he retracted his gaze from the calligraphy and looked at Wu Zeqing's legs. He peeked at her fair legs from the opening of her qipao.
Su Na did not notice Zhang Ye's gaze and said, "I really want this piece of calligraphy."
Zhang Ye casually said, "You're also participating in the competition?"
"I'll pass. My calligraphy isn't good. I was forced to learn it by my dad when I was young. Later on, I didn't practice much. My dad, on the other hand, has some hope." Su Na's heart warmed up.
Zhang Ye thought to himself, Great, yet another unromantic person.
Many of the people present had a look of desire in their eyes.
Master Zhou immediately announced, "Alright, then I'll be the judge for this year's competition. Everyone should have no objections, right? Hur Hur, then we shall begin this year's competition exchange … "
Suddenly, the birthday boy, Master Wei, who was sitting in the armchair, spoke. He stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Old Zhou, wait a moment."
Master Zhou smiled and said, "What's the matter, Old Wei?"
Master Wei quipped, "Old fellow, you sure aren't particular. Half a year ago, I went to your house and saw this piece of calligraphy. I said I wanted it and even wanted to exchange it with you. You refused to give it to me no matter what. What's the meaning of this? Now you're taking it out? Aren't you not giving face to an old friend? We've been friends for decades. " With a pause, he said, "No way. This piece of calligraphy is something I must have. Today is my birthday, so I'll take advantage of my old age. I hope everyone will give this old man some face. Can you let me have this piece of calligraphy?"
"Uh."
"This …"
"The birthday boy is the oldest."
"Old Master Wei, don't snatch it from us juniors. Haha."
Everyone said all sorts of things. There was no smell of gunpowder. It was just entertainment. A competition was a competition, but it did not affect the harmony between them.
Master Zhou was amused. He waved his hand and said, "That won't do, Old Wei. Friends are friends, but I've already said it. You can't make me take it back, right? Since you want it, you can participate too. Besides, you're not the only birthday boy today. Little Wu's birthday is also today. If I give it to you, what will happen to Little Wu? " After some thought, he said, "Let's do it this way. I'll make a suggestion. Let's take care of the two birthday boys today. For this competition, let's split into two teams. Old Wei will lead one team and Little Wu will lead the other. Whichever team's calligraphy is better than the other team's, the prize will go to that team. It could be Old Wei or Little Wu. Just treat it as a birthday gift from me. What does everyone think?"
Master Wei pointed at him and said, "You. You're always up to no good."
Master Zhou was an old acquaintance of his, so he spoke very casually. "Of course it has to be fair. If it's just an individual competition, you'll definitely win even if you've been writing calligraphy your entire life. There's no suspense, and there's no meaning to it. It's a competition, after all. There has to be some suspense."
Everyone thought about it and did not have any objections.
"I think that's fine."
"Haha, this is interesting."
"Alright, let's listen to Master Zhou's arrangements!"
"Old Master Wei, I'll add someone to your team."
"Count me in as well. Since Master Wei is determined to win, I'll also contribute."
Even Father Su, who was a famous calligrapher in the industry, admitted that he was no match for Master Wei. If the birthday boy really wanted this piece of calligraphy, they would not be able to fight for it. They might not even have the slightest chance. Of course, they could not fight for it either. He was celebrating his birthday and was a senior in the industry. Although Master Wei's calligraphy skills were far inferior to Master Zhou's, it was only in terms of seniority. However, seniority was enough to suppress others. None of them dared to fight with Master Wei. That would be too insensible. Hence, Master Zhou's suggestion made everyone feel interested.
Two birthday boys leading a team to compete?
Wu Zeqing against Master Wei? The winner gets the prize?
Immediately, many people stood behind Master Wei. There were dozens of them.
Father Su also laughed loudly. "Then I'll join in too." Saying that, he joined Master Wei's team.
There was no one on Wu Zeqing's side, but she was not angry. She always had a gentle look on her face. She smiled and said, "All of you are bullying me for being inexperienced."
Master Wei joked, "Little Wu, I think you should just give up. When you get Old Zhou's piece of calligraphy, I'll hang it for you for two days before you give it to me."
Wu Zeqing smiled and said, "That's not good. Master Zhou's calligraphy is rare, especially this long piece. I really want it. My family happens to be lacking such a piece of calligraphy."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
