Chapter 439 Taking a little something from him isn't too much to ask, is it?

Shen Wantang stared at the pen, slightly taken aback.

When she practiced calligraphy before, she could never get it right, so she always thought it was a problem with the pen. She had even wondered what kind of pen Gu Qianhan was using, but she was too embarrassed to ask.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qianning actually brought Gu Qianhan's pen to her!

The pen was covered in ink, clearly indicating that it was the pen Gu Qianhan used daily.

No wonder she chased everyone away; delivering a man's gift to her definitely required hiding it from people.

Seeing her staring at the ink stain, Gu Qianning assumed she was disgusted by the fact that Gu Qianhan had used it. She quickly explained, "A-Tang, I actually brought you two new pens, but neither of them is as good as this one! Don't be fooled by its use; this pen is a masterpiece!"

"It was made by the master pen maker Bai Nongshan in his later years. Only two of them exist in the world. One is in the palace and is used by the emperor. The other is in the hands of my second brother!"

“My grandfather was an old friend of Master Bai, which is how he got this pen. No one in the Gu family was willing to use it and kept it all this time. Only my second brother didn’t treat the family heirloom as a treasure and took it and used it directly.”

Shen Wantang was shocked; this was actually a masterpiece by Master Bai Nongshan!

She twirled the brush and, sure enough, saw the "white" character engraved in a vigorous and elegant style at the tip.

Now, the pen in her hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Shen Wantang's eyes widened: "A Ning, how could you snatch such a valuable thing and give it to me? Put it away and return it to your second brother. Only his handwriting is worthy of this pen."

She shoved the pen into Gu Qianning's hand.

Gu Qianning laughed: "But I think your handwriting is worthy of it! As long as you don't mind that this pen was used by my second brother, you can keep it. You love practicing calligraphy so much, Master Bai's spirit in heaven would surely be pleased to see you using the pen he made."

After she finished speaking, she forcefully shoved the pen back into Shen Wantang's hand.

"Ah Tang, look, I even stole my second brother's inkstone. And here's the ink stick he made himself. Oh, and his usual Xuan paper. I don't know where he bought it. It's really unique, so white and fine. It's perfect for practicing calligraphy."

Shen Wantang took them one by one and examined them carefully.

The inkstone is the Duanxi inkstone, which is considered the most valuable of the four famous inkstones.

The ink stick is made of the best pine soot ink. The process of making pine soot ink is extremely complicated, time-consuming and labor-intensive. Gu Qianning said that this ink was made by Gu Qianhan himself. It should have been made by him in the past. Now that he has been reborn, he probably doesn't have time to make ink anymore.

In other words, each piece of ink used is one less available.

Shen Wantang had seen the last piece of paper before. It was a piece of white paper that had been improved by a book boy who made a living selling paper in his previous life. Its characteristics were that it was tough and delicate, white and smooth, making it easier to write on, and the writing would not smudge or fade.

In this life, the pageboy was probably too young to make improvements, but Gu Qianhan knew how to make them, so she found someone to do so.

I wonder who he's looking for. Could it be that the pageboy again?

On the last page of the paper was a calligraphy copybook.

When Shen Wantang opened it, she knew it must have been written by Gu Qianhan, but Gu Qianning had also taken it along with it.

She looked at the pen, the ink, the paper, and the calligraphy copybook with great delight, and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Ah Ning, you really are my confidante, you know what I need! I really love these things. If your second brother has any more of these good things in the future, remember to send me some more!"

Seeing how happy she was, Gu Qianning also became happy: "I'm glad you like it! I was worried you would look down on my second brother's things and refuse to accept them!"

"I don't mind at all, not at all! The more the merrier! Whatever you bring, I'll take it all!"

Shen Wantang was in a very good mood. She wouldn't stand on ceremony with Gu Qianhan. Apart from the pen, which was indeed a bit expensive, she felt perfectly justified in taking everything else!

She's keeping his life-or-death secret, so taking a little something from him isn't too much to ask, is it?

The more casual Shen Wantang was, the happier Gu Qianning became. She picked up the ink stick and said excitedly, "Atang, I'll grind the ink for you. Quickly try writing a character with that brush and see just how good it is!"

Shen Wantang picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote a poem: "The warm sun by the oriole's side is like human speech, the wind by the grass carries the fragrance of medicine."

Gu Qianning couldn't help but exclaim, "A-Tang, your handwriting is so beautiful! Among women, I've never seen anyone whose handwriting is more beautiful and spirited than yours. Among men... well, men don't count, the styles are too different."

Shen Wantang shook her head slightly: "My calligraphy still lacks some style and spirit, and I need to practice more."

"Oh? You've already written so well, and you still need to practice!"

"You have to practice, otherwise you'll get rusty if you don't write for a while."

As Shen Wantang spoke, she carefully put the pen away. This pen was indeed very useful; writing with it seemed exceptionally smooth and elegant.

Seeing that she had stopped writing, Gu Qianning pulled her to have some snacks: "My cook is an expert at making snacks. She has come up with some new recipes these past few days. I thought they were pretty good yesterday, so I brought you some of each kind. Try them and see which one you like best."

Shen Wantang sat down with her and tasted each kind of pastry: "Not bad, this mung bean and almond shortbread is good!"

"Yes, yes, I think it's delicious too! It's fragrant, not greasy, and has a wonderful aftertaste!"

As the two were eating, the maids' voices suddenly came from outside: "Young Miss, you've arrived! This servant will go and report to the Crown Princess right away!"

Gu Qianning asked suspiciously, "Young Miss? Who is that?"

Shen Wantang said, "It is the Princess."

Gu Qianning suddenly realized: "Oh, right, I forgot her title was taken away!"

The door was kicked open as soon as he finished speaking.

Xiao Qingxi led her people in.

Gu Qianning feigned surprise: "Oh dear, who is this? Their face is so pale, could it be a ghost?"

Xiao Qingxi's face was icy cold: "Gu Qianning, who are you calling a ghost? You're the ghost, your whole family are ghosts!"

Gu Qianning didn't react much to these words, but Shen Wantang's expression changed slightly.

She immediately picked up the conversation, asking Xiao Qingxi, "Why did you come out, Miss? Didn't Physician Zhou tell you to rest in bed? The wind outside is still chilly, which is not good for your health. Please go back!"

Xiao Qingxi found a chair and sat down: "I can stay in bed if I want, and I can come out if I want. It's none of your business."

Shen Wantang sneered: "I can't control it, but others can. Granny Chai, go to the Princess's courtyard and report that the eldest young lady has secretly run away again!"

Xiao Qingxi's face stiffened: "Shen Wantang, don't go too far! I've been cooped up in my room for days, what's wrong with coming out for a walk? You're going to send someone to complain to my mother about such a small thing?"

"Scared? If you're scared, go back to your courtyard. I have guests here, so I won't keep you any longer!"

"I'm not afraid at all! I only came here because I knew you had guests! This Gu Qianning caused me to lose my title as a princess, and you still dare to invite her as a guest? You're deliberately trying to disgust me! Get her out of the palace right now!"