Chapter 9: Chapter 9) Wang Xizhi's script
"Grandmother please see, if Yanyan had copied the scriptures right for you and if you like what Yanyan had brought for you." Gu Yanyan said in a sweet and excited voice.
Everyone could feel the eagerness from her slightly nervous voice.
'Never had thought Young Miss would be so good at acting, look at these fools, falling for her act, one after another.' Yang Xumei and other servants from manor amused internally, seeing their miss' top notch acting skills.
After hearing from Gu Yanyan about those wooden scrolls being sacred Buddhist scriptures, old Madam Gu immediately showed extra interested in her, Gu Yanyan's, 'carefully' and 'thoughtfully' prepared gift.
She asked the maid to hand over those scriptures to her and in front of everyone, she opened those wooden scrolls.
Seeing the famous Wang Xizhi's style calligraphy on the scrolls, old Madam Gu was visibly stunned, it was not the normal Hairpin Flower Small script, practiced by most of the women and young ladies because of it's delicate and weak nature but it was Wang Xizhi's script which was normally used by men and young masters because it had a bold nature and required a lot of wrist strength to continue practicing as their main hand writing.
She showed the scriptures to other members of the Gu family. After seeing the scriptures, every member had it's own thoughts.
While members of first branch showed good impression after seeing the clean and bold handwriting and children from the first branch were even in awe of her at some point, because they know how tough it is to practice this kind of calligraphy, members of second branch were not that pleased at the nature of Gu Yanyan's handwriting.
Second master Gu thought, it was not an ideal handwriting for a young lady. In his thinking, women should be delicate by nature, not bold and their handwriting should also reflect their nature too.
Madam Lin also had same kind of bold handwriting, that's why he didn't like to share to study with her and even sometimes detested her when he saw her writing letters or arranging household accounts.
Madam Yun had mixed thought about the nature of calligraphy, at one side she was delighted after seeing the handwriting because she knew, it was the kind of calligraphy that Madam used to like and use while writing which master didn't appreciated because of it's bold and strong nature that gives a manly aura. He used to think that Madam Lin was mocking his masculinity and thought of him as a coward for being a scholar that he was not as strong and brave like her father and brother who fought on battlefield all year long.
On the other side, it was really a kind of calligraphy that most of the women can't practice because it takes a lot of effort and strength to master this calligraphy and use it in your day to day life but this wretched girl had mastered effortlessly, as expected of a Lin descended, even if they were thrown into wildness, they would emerge as the most beautiful wild flower.
Thinking of this madam Yun clenched her fingers around her silk handkerchief so hard that it almost torned off.
While Gu Yanran and Gu Yanwen's expressions were not something delightful.
Only Gu Shanjing gave a an appreciative look towards his this newly met eldest sister and saw her in a different light from then on.
'It's good that she has gotten good education outside, if she would have stayed in the Gu Residence back then, he was sure, Madam Yun would have make sure to turn her into a good for nothing, just like him.'
It was true, Madam Yun really had made that arrangements... even after Gu Yanyan was sent away from the Gu Residence to stay into the manor, Madam Yun had made sure that the nanny Jin whom she had arranged for Gu Yanyan, would not let her learn something good. If not for nanny Jin's 'unexpected disappearance' in this life time, Gu Yanyan would surely haven't gotten the chance to learn from her Teacher Ye.
After seeing such beautiful calligraphy, unlike other's bland or unappreciative gazes, old madam Lin was visibly pleased.
She was delighted after getting such sacred scriptures in such a beautiful handwriting.
As an old lady who worshipped Buddha, half of her life, getting such sacred things would surely make her feel delighted and Gu Yanyan also knew this, that's why she arranged this.
As for scriptures, it was really copied by her, not to please old Madam Gu but for her own peace of mind and freshness of heart.
Those scriptures were filled with Peace Sutra, Heart Sutra and Lotus Sutra and... so on.
All these scriptures she copied when her heart and mind was not at ease or when she felt upset or light hearted.
Offering these scriptures to old Madam Gu was because no matter what, old Madam Gu had really worshipped Buddha for half of her life, even to the point of blind worshipping, so she was the most perfect person to receive such sacred treasures from her.
And seeing the delighted and satisfied expression on her face, Gu Yanyan knew, she did the right thing by doing this.
"How is it Grandmother?" Gu Yanyan asked again to show her eagerness to please her grandmother and expectations of being praised.
Because only by doing so would others think of her vain and easy to manipulate little girl and made their moves towards her.
And only when they would made their move towards her, could she catch the off gourd and beat them up in their own game.
And true to her expectations....
'No matter how bold and strong calligraphy she could write, she was still a delicate and ignorant young lady who was eager to please her grandmother and get her approval so that she could stay safe under her wing.
Just like an insecure and abandoned little rabit wanting to find it's safe heaven.
As long as one offered a warm shelter, she would grab it at first chance without thinking much.
Other young masters and misses only saw a look of approval in their grandmother's eyes for Gu Yanyan but didn't noticed the look of scheming in the two master's eyes.
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