章 17: Calligraphy
編集者: Atlas Studios
"Oh, my baby is here."
Old Master Jun, who was practicing calligraphy under the sycamore tree in the courtyard, heard the familiar childish voice.
Immediately putting down the calligraphy brush in his hand, he walked towards the door with a smile on his kind face.
Mirroring the elderly man's expression, Xiao Bao, who was wearing a shirt printed with Pikachu, smiled until his eyes curved into crescents. He threw himself into Old Master Jun's arms.
"Good morning, Great-grandfather." Xiao Bao grabbed his Great-grandfather's beard and grinned.
"Morning, sweetheart. Where's your dad?"
"Daddy and Mommy are outside."
Xia Wanyuan? The old master remained calm upon hearing Xiao Bao's words, but deep down, he was contemplating.
He had already felt sorry towards his grandson by forcing him to marry her back then. Hence, he did not comment on the fact that Jun Shiling had neglected Xia Wanyuan.
In the past two years, Jun Shiling had gradually gained a firm foothold. His divorcing Xia Wanyuan was a foreseeable step. He himself did not like Xia Wanyuan's behavior either.
However, thinking of his precious great-grandson, he had no choice but to give Xia Wanyuan some degree of status.
Well… The old master sighed deeply. He didn't want to care about their affairs anymore. As he looked at his cute great-grandson, he only hoped that Ah Ling could settle the problems properly without hurting the child.
The sound of the door being pushed open disrupted his train of thought. The old master widened his eyes and stared at the person walking towards him.
His impression of Xia Wanyuan was still her being that woman who had approached him with an ultrasound scan four years ago. Her makeup was exquisite, and there was an unconcealable ambition and domineering streak within her eyes.
However, the Xia Wanyuan who was currently standing beside Jun Shiling was elegant and generous. Her brows were composed and exuded a sense of calmness.
Standing under the carved door eaves, she looked like a noble lady who had walked out of a painting, exuding an especially classic elegance.
"Mommy!" Upon seeing Jun Shiling and Xia Wanyuan, Xiao Bao let go of his grandfather's hand and ran to Xia Wanyuan.
When the little dumpling reached her, Xia Wanyuan smiled and stroked Xiao Bao's head. At the same time, Jun Shiling bowed slightly towards Old Master Jun. "Grandpa."
Xia Wanyuan looked at the old man in front of her who was still hale and hearty despite his age. He had a benevolent look on his face. She bowed slightly and greeted him as Jun Shiling did. "Grandfather."
Her calm and courteous tone, as well as her composed bearing, made the former head of the Jun family exclaim in admiration. He looked at Jun Shiling and Xia Wanyuan up and down involuntarily.
"Alright, since you're here, come in and have a seat." Great-Grandfather finally looked away.
It had been a long time since the elderly man had seen Xiao Bao, and he missed the child dearly. Hence, he brought Xiao Bao to see the toys and gifts he had prepared for him.
The room fell silent while Jun Shiling and Xia Wanyuan sat on the sofa.
From the moment she entered, Xia Wanyuan realized that the quadrangle looked rather ordinary and small.
However, the redwood tables and chairs in the room, the double ear vase with golden pheasant carvings, the folding screen that had green enamel carvings, and the various small decorations that could be seen everywhere were all filled with an ancient aura. One look and one could tell that they were well-worn by the sands of time.
There were several picturesque landscapes hanging on the wall. When Xia Wanyuan was young, she had been enlightened by the most respected Master Yu Qian of the Xia Dynasty. Later on, she was nurtured by the most outstanding masters of the four arts.
She was very accomplished in painting and calligraphy. Even Master Yu Qian praised her for her native intelligence.
The paintings hanging in the room were all full of content and emotions as if the artist had hidden his pure aura into the paintings, allowing them to pass through time and converse with people a thousand years later.
Xia Wanyuan's eyes lit up and she couldn't help but walk to the front of the drawing in the middle. The weather was bleak, the clouds were clear, the brush strokes were fine, and the inkwork was exquisite. Xia Wanyuan couldn't help but carefully ponder over the strokes.
"…"
Jun Shiling had been shocked too many times before, so he was no longer surprised that Xia Wanyuan seemed to be interested in Chinese arts. His deep gaze was fixed on Xia Wanyuan's focused profile.
…
It became immediately apparent that Old Master Jun liked spicy food. During lunch, apart from the bland dishes for Jun Shiling and Jun Yin, there were also several plates of Sichuan dishes that were filled with bright red chili oil.
Xia Wanyuan glanced at the Spicy Boiled Fish drenched in pepper and chili. It looked really spicy and glistened enticingly.
Ever since she had arrived in the modern world, the food she had tasted was basically fancy and delicious. She wanted to try it. Xia Wanyuan blinked and finally reached out to pick up a piece and put it into her mouth.
Mm, the spicy sensation filled her mouth, but the taste was indeed not bad. Xia Wanyuan could not help but take another bite. The aftertaste of the chili pepper began to hit her, and Xia Wanyuan felt as if the tip of her tongue was burning.
Just as she was about to swallow a mouthful of rice to relieve the spiciness, someone gave her a glass of water. Xia Wanyuan turned her head and saw Jun Shiling's cold side profile.
"Thank you," Xia Wanyuan said softly. Swallowing down the water, it finally relieved the spiciness.
Old Master Jun, who was sitting on the main seat, watched Jun Shiling's actions without batting an eyelid. He picked up a piece of fish and threw it into his mouth, hiding the smile on his face.
After lunch, it was Old Master Jun's resting time. Xiao Bao had been playing with toys for a long time and he felt sleepy, so he went to nap with Great-Grandfather.
"Young Master, do you and Miss Xia need to rest?"
Compared to how he had neglected Xia Wanyuan when she just arrived, Uncle Liu's attitude towards her had clearly changed.
After all, if she was able to come home with Jun Shiling and was even close to Little Master, he naturally had to reevaluate Xia Wanyuan's status. Even the old master seemed to have an undetectable approval of her.
"There's no need, Uncle Liu. You should go and rest." Upon seeing Xia Wanyuan walking towards the courtyard, Jun Shiling followed suit.
The afternoon sun was not scorching in the spring season. Instead, it emitted a comfortable warmth. In the blue sky, cotton candy-like clouds slowly floated by. The leaves of the sycamore trees rustled in the spring breeze, and the wind blew the ink-stained paper on the table.
The ink slab on the table was as smooth as jade, and the delicate fragrance of the pine-soot ink drifted along with the wind.
Xia Wanyuan took a look and knew that the ink and paper on the table were of the highest quality, which gave her an itch to show off her skills.
"You can use these. Grandpa likes to practice calligraphy and likes appreciating other people's works too."
Jun Shiling had unknowingly walked under the sycamore tree. The afternoon sun shone on his face, making him look every part like an aristocratic gentleman.
"Can I?" Xia Wanyuan tilted her head, her eyes filled with obvious anticipation.
"Mm." Jun Shiling nodded.
Xia Wanyuan took off her windbreaker and placed it aside. Picking up the brush on the table, she dipped it in ink. Then she tilted her head and thought for a while before putting down the brush.
Xia Wanyuan's hand seemed slender and weak, but unexpectedly, she did not lose her grip on the thick brush.
The brush glided across the parchment and stretched, guided by her strokes that were firm, yet gentle at the same time.
Meanwhile, Jun Shiling stood by the side and looked at Xia Wanyuan's side profile. In a daze, he seemed to have walked into an ink painting. The person in front of him had a classic elegance that he could not see through.
"Finished!" Xia Wanyuan finally put down her brush. The ink of the best quality truly lived up to its reputation. Although she had not written for a long time, she was able to write very smoothly with the high-quality ink.
The ink painting in front of him suddenly swung open, and the smiling Xia Wanyuan in front of him seemed to have brought him back to reality.
Jun Shiling lowered his head to look at the words written by Xia Wanyuan. His gaze instantly froze, and his almond-shaped eyes flashed with thousands of emotions.
On the paper, there were three characters that were clearly defined and were stretched out like a phoenix circling in the sky.
"Jun"
"Shi"
"Ling"
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