There were not that many people participating in the Lanting Award this time. Xu Yajun only admitted that Xie Jinyun was stronger than her.
As for the others…
As for third place, she didn’t even think about it.
Xu En looked in the rearview mirror, very surprised: “Even if you get second place, you are still very good. The Lanting Award has been opened for so many sessions, only one lady has won the first prize.”
If Xu Yajun gets second place, her popularity will be stronger than Xie Jinyun’s.
Xu En was also very clear about this.
He became more and more jealous of his old classmates.
In the passenger seat, Ji Mulan was holding her phone. She couldn’t get a word in edgewise, so she just searched for the Lanting Award.
As for someone named “Ming Shao”, Xie Jinyun, and Chairman Xue, she was completely unaware.
**
It was Saturday.
Bailian and Ji Heng had lunch at Ji Shaojun’s house at noon.
“This place may be demolished.” At the dinner table, Ji Shaojun frowned and brought up the matter.
Shen Qing was also unusually silent.
Bailian sat quietly on the side, eating slowly and listening to them talk.
Ji Heng lowered his head, picked up his smoking pipe, lit it, took a puff before speaking, “The government hasn’t issued a notice yet, so it’s not necessarily going to be demolished. Don’t worry, go fishing and relax this afternoon.”
“That’s right,” Shen Qing suddenly smiled and put another chopstick of food on Bailian’s plate, “For places like ours, which developer would look at us, eat, eat it all.”
Ji Shaojun’s brows relaxed slightly. He picked up his chopsticks again, “Where to go fishing?”
“Xiang River,” Ji Heng’s appetite was never very good, he didn’t eat too much, just urged Ji Shaojun to eat quickly, “Little Chen will also go later, after we eat, let’s go grab some good spots first.”
After the meal, Ji Heng took Ji Shaojun fishing.
Bailian took her schoolbag and went to the library.
Just as she walked out the door, her phone lit up. It was a WeChat message from Lance (T/N: written in English.).
Lance: ?Hi?
Bailian raised her eyebrows slightly. ?Hello?
Lance: ?Chinese medicine is simply magical?
Lance: ?[Image]?
He sent Bailian a picture. Bailian closed the door behind her and casually tapped to open it. It was a picture of a medical diagnosis.
Bailian: ?~&);)*&;……%#@%)?
After replying, she didn’t care if the other party could understand.
She walked slowly out. Just as she opened her vocabulary app, another message popped up at the top of her phone—
Mom: ?Where are you? Have lunch with us, your Uncle Xu’s side has an important person?
She thought she was making connections for Bailian, giving Bailian a foothold.
This was the first time the other party had sent her a message, and she just realized that she was still in the original owner’s WeChat.
She followed the message and tapped in.
She saw the chat with Ji Mulan. It was a very long page, almost all were messages from the original owner.
Two years ago: ?Mom, where did you go??
?Dad brought those siblings back, mom, why haven’t you come back yet??
?I won’t be willful anymore, I will study hard?
?……?
It seemed that the original owner regarded Ji Mulan as a reminder and recorded everything.
The last sentence was three months ago: ?Dad took away your recommending letter to become a master disciple?
Ji Mulan didn’t reply to a single sentence.
She thought herself to be doing what’s best for her daughter, unable to accept her daughter’s mediocrity. After the marriage crisis, she left the original owner alone.
Today was the first time Ji Mulan sent a message.
Bailian stopped. She took a deep breath, her face was almost cold as she deleted Ji Mulan from her friend list.
Then she slightly tilted her head back, her hand resting on her heart.
She seemed to feel the despair the original owner left in this world.
Outside the community.
A black car was parked quietly on the other side, the car door was open, and Jiang He was squatting at the front of the car with his hands covering his ears, staring intently at the direction of the community gate without moving his eyes.
Beside him, Jiang Fuli was standing coldly wearing a black shirt.
He should have been too angry. The button on his collar was undone. His clear and cold gaze was like a cold moon crushing Jiang He, cold and arrogant, without any emotion.
He was tall and slender, his side profile was as perfect as a fine brush stroke, but no one passing by dared to get near.
Bailian stood at the community gate for a while.
Her mood slowly calmed down.
She was wearing a smoky green long skirt today with a white long coat on the outside. The coat had no buttons and was casually open. The collars and cuffs were embroidered with clusters of emerald green vines.
Circle after circle rolled up and swayed gently in the wind, as if to break through the clothes.
It reflected the various morning glories at the hem of the skirt.
“What’s wrong with him?” Bailian stood next to Jiang He, lowered her head to look at him carefully for a moment, then lazily turned her head to ask Jiang Fuli.
Jiang Fuli glanced at Jiang He, “De was cooking dishes he didn’t like for lunch.”
Jiang He was very picky about food, in a completely different way than normal people.
The Jiang family chefs all knew his habits and would always make one or two dishes that Jiang He could eat.
However, De didn’t know and said an extra careful sentence that picky eaters don’t grow taller after knowing Jiang He wasn’t eating anything. Jiang He had been sulking until now.
Jiang Fuli endured it all the way without scolding him.
He just made a list of the dishes Jiang He didn’t eat and gave it to De.
Bailian nodded. The last time she went back to check, children with autism spectrum disorders had eccentric personalities. The dishes Jiang He didn’t eat were almost all the same types, which he may have had shadows of.
So even Jiang Fuli held back from scolding him.
The three went to the library. Ming Donghang happened to deliver a meal for Jiang He.
He stood quietly behind Jiang Fuli and reported to him, “I’ve given the stuff to the people at CWA (Chinese Writer’s Association).”
Ming Donghang wasn’t familiar with CWA and didn’t know Xu Yajun either, so he called them “CWA people” collectively.
Because Jiang He had to eat, Bailian and the others stayed at the coffee shop on the first floor of the library.
Jiang Fuli sat casually on a chair in the coffee shop, one hand resting lazily on the chair back. The cold and indifferent aura was obvious. He just “mm-hmmed” lightly.
Bailian sat with one leg crossed on the side, slowly and leisurely doing biology questions.
“Right,” Ming Donghang saw that Jiang Fuli was in a good mood, so he spoke up, “The people at CWA asked again if you would be willing to serve as a judge…”
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Fuli gave Ming Donghang a light glance.
With an expression of are you kidding me.
Ming Donghang: “……”
He wasn’t kidding, Chairman Xue was kidding.
After Jiang Fuli withdrew his gaze without looking at him again and spoke to Bailian at his side, Ming Donghang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He took out his phone and @ Jiang Xizhou in the group.
Ming Donghang: ?@Jiang Xizhou The work has been given, Jiang Shao refused the rest.?
Jiang Xizhou replied very quickly this time.
Jiang Xizhou: ?????
Jiang Xizhou: ?You’re still alive??
Jiang Xizhou was very direct: ?I don’t believe it?
Xu Nanjing: ?Deduct 1 to prove you’re not a robot?
Ming Donghang: ?Huh.?
Ming Donghang: ?You don’t understand.?
He put away his phone and carefully glanced at Bailian, then straightened his chest.
**
Bailian spent the whole afternoon studying at the library.
At four o’clock, she received a call from Qiu Xuezheng asking her how her practice was going.
Upon learning that Bailian had spent the whole day doing homework at the library, Qiu Xuezheng was very silent. “You didn’t practice calligraphy all day?”
“Yes.” On the second floor of science and engineering, apart from Bailian Ningxiao and others, there was no one else.
Bailian held the phone in one hand and was still slowly drawing in the other.
“Come see me and I’ll take a look at your normal level,” Qiu Xuezheng said tactfully. “Your principal said your state was very good last time. Calligraphy requires serious practice, proficiency comes from frequent practice.”
He thought about it.
And recalled Bailian’s indifferent appearance last time. He always felt that she was a little unreliable.
“I have an older wolf-hair brush here. I also have xuan paper1, it’s good for you to come and take them back to practice.” Qiu Xuezheng straightened himself. “You might as well come over and try.”
Calligraphy is also very strict about the tools used.
Like old calligraphers, the wolf-hair brushes they hold are decades old. The brush tips are soft but elastic, and the whole brush waist has a strong sense of power.
The older the xuan paper the better.
This is also one of the reasons why calligraphy burns money.
Bailian thought about it briefly. “Okay.”
Beside her, Jiang Fuli heard her conversation clearly with the other person. His middle and index fingers still held a black pen with the pen tip stopped on the snow white paper. He raised his hand and glanced at his left wristwatch, “Leaving?”
“Mm,” Bailian put away her books slowly one by one, “going to a teacher’s house.”
Jiang Fuli nodded. He glanced at Ningxiao across from him, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table.
Then he casually slid the paper across.
Ningxiao carefully collected the draft, “I’ve got it.”
Beside him, Lu Xiaohan didn’t dare raise her head.
After Jiang Fuli and Bailian left, Lu Xiaohan finally looked up. She looked at Ningxiao and marveled, “How dare you ask him questions?”
“……” Ningxiao was silent for a while. “Actually it was fine.”
Compared to Tang Ming, he was normal.
Lu Xiaohan took a look at the paper in Ningxiao’s hand. She couldn’t understand at all what was written on it.
**
Qiu Family.
Qiu Xuezheng put down what he was doing and waited for Bailian in the lobby.
Qiu Boqing came back from outside. “Grandpa.”
Seeing Qiu Xuezheng, he wanted to say something but didn’t dare say anything remembering his grandfather’s attitude last time.
“Mm,” Qiu Xuezheng lowered his head and slowly took a sip of tea, his eyes still looking at the door. “Don’t go out these next few days. Practice more calligraphy and temper your character.”
Qiu Boqing had gone to see the Ren family. Ren Qian wanted him to work as an intermediary for Qiu Xuezheng.
But he didn’t dare say that when it came to his mouth.
Just as he was about to go upstairs to practice calligraphy, the doorman brought someone in. “Teacher Qiu, Miss Bai is here.”
Not just anyone could enter Qiu Xuezheng’s residence. He had informed the doorman in advance.
Bailian stepped over the threshold and walked in slowly. She was carrying her school bag and politely greeted Qiu Xuezheng, “Teacher Qiu.”
Her expression was lazy and casual.
Qiu didn’t know Bailian. His gaze glanced over her and he wanted to go upstairs.
“……You really were at the library?” After a long silence, Qiu Xuezheng spoke up seriously, “You may not necessarily get the third prize this time. There are a lot of people participating in the Lanting Award this time.”
Qiu, who was about to go upstairs, stopped in his tracks upon hearing this.
He suddenly turned back and looked at Qiu Xuezheng in astonishment, “Grandpa, did you recommend her to participate in the Lanting Award?”
Qiu Xuezheng frowned slightly. “That’s right. Her brushwork is very distinctive and her artistic conception is much stronger than yours.”
Qiu Boqing turned to Bailian, stopping with his hand on the railing. He looked at Bailian inquisitively, with a hint of unwillingness to lose, “What’s your Grade 9 score?”
Hearing him ask this question, Qiu Xuezheng also looked at Bailian.
Bailian’s cold white face was expressionless. She just raised her eyebrows slightly and asked lazily, “What Grade 9?”
“CCPT (China Calligrapher Proficiency Test),” Qiu Boqing’s expression turned cold as he looked at Bailian more and more coldly. The inquisitive look gradually disappeared. “The calligraphy grading exam, you didn’t take this certificate?”
Bailian didn’t even know what CCPT was, she just frowned, “This also requires a certificate?”
It needs a certificate to prove what?
“It looks like you haven’t even taken Grade 9 yet,” Qiu Boqing withdrew his gaze with a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth. He looked at Qiu Xuezheng, “Grandpa, who exactly is she? To think you’d rather recommend someone who hasn’t even taken Grade 9 than Junior Sister Ren?”
“Qiu Boqing!” Qiu Xuezheng slapped down his teacup loudly. “Watch your words! You’ll know once you’ve seen Bai’s calligraphy.”
Qiu Boqing was very dissatisfied that Qiu Xuezheng didn’t recommend Ren Wanxuan.
“Let’s talk again after she passes Grade 9.” Qiu Boqing turned around and went back upstairs.
Behind him, Qiu Xuezheng shook his head.
Unlike Qiu Boqing, he knew Bailian was unfamiliar with even the Lanting Award itself, let alone CCPT. Not taking CCPT was beyond yet within his expectations, which made him even more curious as to which hidden master was Bailian’s teacher.
“He was standing up for his junior sister, don’t take it to heart.” Qiu Xuezheng apologized to Bailian.
“I really haven’t taken it,” Bailian shook her head and immediately asked about something else. “Do you need certificates for everything nowadays?”
It seemed she had learned another new term.
Examination.
Without a certificate, you would not be recognized.
“Let me take you to try the brush,” Qiu Xuezheng led her upstairs while explaining. “Not to mention painting, even old Chinese medicine practitioners need licenses to practice, it’s illegal without one.”
Old Chinese medicine practitioners need licenses too?
Bailian followed behind, stunned. “So wandering doctors2 are gone too?”
“There used to be some in Xiang City,” astonished at the ancient term from Bailian’s mouth, Qiu Xuezheng was stunned for a moment before saying, “Later, because medical practice certificates were required, these people all disappeared.”
Bailian fell silent for a while.
She now seemed to understand a little why Lu Lingxi was always watching Zhang Shize.
Qiu Xuezheng opened the study door solemnly and took out a brush box from the drawer. He opened it to reveal a dark brown wolf-hair brush. “Try this brush today and see if you can use it smoothly.”
He also took out ordinary white paper.
Letting Bailian try the brush first.
Bailian “mm-hmmed.” She didn’t think about the certificate matter anymore, put her schoolbag aside, and walked to the desk at first glance and saw the wolf-hair brush Qiu Xuezheng had taken out.
With her insight, she could naturally see that this brush was extremely valuable.
Qiu Xuezheng’s desk was very big. He was bending over grinding ink and smiled at Bailian, “Try it first.”
Bailian nodded slightly. She held the wolf-hair brush with her right hand and lightly lifted her slightly wide sleeve with her left, dipped some ink, bent over, and wrote down the character “Xiang” with the brush.
This was the first time Qiu Xuezheng saw Bailian write calligraphy. Her brushwork was smooth, the tip slicing into the character stroke, and today’s character was even better than last time’s.
It showed that her previous state was not a one-time occurrence, but her normal level.
“There it is.” Qiu Xuezheng stopped and looked at Bailian. His gaze was intense, “Although a lot of masters’ students have come out to participate this time, I think you’ll definitely get third place this time!”
Third place…
Bailian tilted her head slightly, pondered briefly, “Please wait a moment.”
“What?” Qiu Xuezheng didn’t understand.
Bailian gently put down the wolf-hair brush, pulled up the right sleeve of her dress, revealing a red ribbon inside, as well as a silver-white little ball tied to her wrist.
Qiu Xuezheng watched with eyes wide and mouth agape as Bailian simply reached out and took the little white metal ball off from around her wrist.
- Xuan paper is a type of paper originating in ancient China for writing and painting with a soft and strong surface. Frequently used for caligraphy because it absorbs and retains ink well. ↩︎
- “????/wandering doctor” is an ancient Chinese term referring to a traveling doctor or itinerant medical officer. Historically, these individuals would travel from place to place, offering medical services to communities in need. ↩︎
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