Chapter 32: The Two Are Connected He had been waiting for years, hoping that Tongtong would look back...
When Su Guanqing came to call Jiang Tong to go to the main hall to meet Xu's father and son, she was taking Zhao Quesheng to appreciate Shang Xi's painting.
Hearing this, Jiang Tong didn't even move her hips. Instead, she said to Su Guanqing, "Guanqing, please tell Quesheng about the characteristics of Shang Xi's brushwork."
Su Guanqing was still thinking about the guests waiting, so he just summarized it in two or three sentences.
"Quesheng, do you understand?" Jiang Tong asked.
Zhao Quesheng's eyes were filled with confusion.
"Teacher Su, your disciple didn't understand. Please explain it in more detail."
"Tongtong, a guest has arrived..."
"Let them wait." Jiang Tong stood up and pulled Su Guanqing to sit down.
Su Guanqing was helpless. He knew Jiang Tong's temper. If he made her unhappy, she would not leave. So he had to explain seriously.
He talked about Shang Xi's personal style and then the style of academy painting. He talked for an incense stick's worth of time before asking, "Quesheng, is there anything else you don't understand?"
Zhao Quesheng asked, "Is Guo Xi's 'Early Spring' also considered an academy painting?"
"Forget it. After all, Guo Xi was once a Hanlin scholar. But Guo Xi's style is quite different from the delicate and exquisite style of court painting." Su Guanqing followed up the topic and talked about Guo Xi.
Jiang Tong sat across from Su Guanqing, quietly listening to his incessant speech, his eyes fixed on his face. He looked very energetic and spoke much faster than before, obviously getting excited. He couldn't help but laugh and said,
"Guan Qing, do you like Guo Xi's paintings very much?"
Su Guanqing nodded: "I wish I could see you."
"I thought you didn't like the school painting style."
Su Guanqing said hurriedly: "But Guo Xi's paintings are different."
"What's different?" Jiang Tong asked with a smile.
Although he knew that Jiang Tong was asking this question knowing the answer, Su Guanqing still explained seriously:
"Guo Xi's paintings have the majestic grandeur of lofty mountains and the lively interest of small bridges and flowing water. They are not the kind of deliberately flattering style that we often see."
He sighed with emotion as he spoke, "It was thanks to Song Shenzong that he was his soulmate and gave him enough room to develop his works, that this masterpiece was passed down through the ages."
Seeing that he really liked it, Jiang Tong also stood up and said, "Quesheng, you can continue to observe this painting here. When you return it to the owner in the future, you won't have the chance to see it again. Guanqing, let's go over."
Su Guanqing's eyebrows and eyes drooped: "I won't go."
He actually still had a shadow in his heart and didn't want to see Xu Sheng.
Jiang Tong refused to comply: "They came to my house in a rage, asking to see me, and you're going to let me face them alone?"
Su Guanqing's expression suddenly became serious: "I'll go with you."
Jiang Tong walked out with his hands behind his back and his chest puffed out, feeling satisfied.
…
In the main hall, Jiang Huaishan was chatting with Xu Gong over tea. Xu Sheng stood obediently behind his father, his feet sore from standing. Seeing Jiang Tong and Su Guanqing enter, all sorts of old and new grudges flooded his mind. But with his father right there, he dared not act rashly. For a moment, his already unattractive features were distorted by his restraint.
After a simple greeting, Xu Gong smiled and said to Jiang Huaishan, "I never thought that a warrior like you, Jiang, could have such profound attainments in calligraphy and painting restoration. I wonder who his teacher is?"
Jiang Huaishan's face was flushed, and he danced with joy. "This child just likes to figure things out on her own. She learned horseback riding the same way back then, without a teacher. I even said I'd find time to teach her, and by the time I had some free time, she was riding better than me. I could barely catch up with her."
Xu Gong said, "Brother Jiang is so lucky. Unlike me, I gave birth to such a useless thing."
Xu Sheng gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and dared not say a word.
Jiang Huaishan smiled broadly, his face full of joy. "Hey, speaking of which, could you show us Brother Xu's painting 'Early Spring'?"
Xu Gong then asked Xu Sheng to unfold the scroll.
Xu Sheng hurriedly and carefully opened the painting. The painting of "Early Spring" was not small. When Xu Sheng unfolded it, his chin and below were almost completely covered by the painting.
Jiang Tong walked to the front of the painting without hesitation. At first glance, he was shocked by the powerful momentum of the painting. When he looked closely at the brushstrokes, he found that there were many horizontal cracks on the entire painting.
With years of experience, Jiang Tong knew at a glance that this painting had obviously been poorly preserved when it was collected. It was unknown how many times it had experienced moisture absorption and expansion and water loss and contraction, causing the silk fibers to become brittle and crack.
The more Jiang Tong looked, the more heartbroken he felt.
Xu Gong said, "I paid a high price for this painting, intending to offer it on the occasion of the emperor's birthday, but the cracks all over the painting make it impossible to do anything about it."
Jiang Huaishan put his hands behind his back and pretended to admire it. "Your painting is beautiful, but the emperor's birthday is in October. It's not appropriate to give this as a gift. You might as well find a picture of autumn or early winter."
Jiang Tong lowered her head, suppressing her laughter. In her previous life, she had always preferred martial arts to literature; it was simply her family's tradition.
Turning around, he saw Su Guanqing pursing his lips, also looking like he was trying to hold back a laugh. He then poked his waist with his hand and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't laugh!"
Su Guanqing also whispered to her, "Is it really 'Early Spring'? Is it an authentic work?"
"It's an authentic one." Jiang Tong said.
Jiang Huaishan saw them doing something at a glance, his smile faded, and he coughed twice: "Tongtong, look, Uncle Xu has come to visit us in person, and you just..."
Jiang Tong interrupted him: "Sorry, I can't fix this painting."
When Su Guanqing heard her straightforward voice, his first thought was that Tongtong was standing up for him.
But the next moment, he forced himself to suppress his exhilarating mood.
No, don't think like that, you can't think like that.
Jiang Huaishan rubbed his hands awkwardly. "This girl is just stubborn. Even I, as her father, can't do anything about her. Brother Xu, you don't know, this child is mad at me. For months, she would rather sit on the kitchen doorstep to eat than eat at the same table with me. I'm a bad parent, I'm a bad parent, please forgive me, Brother Xu."
Jiang Huaishan said this, but judging from his expression, he didn't seem to feel ashamed at all.
Hearing Jiang Huaishan say this, Xu Gong knew that it was useless to ask him for help. Jiang Tong wanted to vent Su Guanqing's anger. If he didn't let her get rid of her anger, this matter would not be accomplished.
"If you're talking about a bad parent, then I'm the real bad parent," Xu Gong pointed at Xu Sheng. "This bastard never does his job properly. He even injured Young Master Su before. I was so angry that I made him kneel in the ancestral hall for several days. Every time I think about it, I still can't help but be furious. I'm here today, firstly for this painting, and secondly, to bring this bastard here to apologize. I heard that my niece has spent a lot of money on Young Master Su's medical treatment these days. I should have paid for the medicine..."
Xu Gong pointed to a small box behind him and said, "Here are two hundred taels of silver. I'll use this to make up for my niece's debt. If it's not enough, just let me know."
Two hundred taels is naturally a huge sum of money, but everyone present has seen and eaten it before, so they are indifferent to it.
Jiang Tong was displeased when she saw that the other party was only apologizing to her and leaving the real victim aside.
She said coldly, "Uncle Xu is very thoughtful. In that case, I will accept the money on Guanqing's behalf. However, as for the repair of the painting, Uncle Xu should seek help from someone else."
Xu Gong also understood the meaning behind her words and kicked his son: "It's all your fault! Apologize now!"
Xu Sheng obviously didn't have his father's foresight and was still trying to make trouble for Jiang Tong. He forced an ugly and twisted smile and nodded and bowed to Jiang Tong: "Miss Jiang, it was my fault before. I'm sorry for offending you..."
"You didn't offend me, you offended Guan Qing. If you want to apologize, you should apologize to him." Jiang Tong didn't know whether he was really stupid or pretending to be stupid. He was too lazy to play Tai Chi with him and simply pointed it out to him.
Su Guanqing was completely stunned, his heart pounding. Tongtong was really standing up for him!
"Hey! Hey!" Xu Sheng hurriedly turned to Su Guanqing, "Guanqing, I was wrong before. I shouldn't have treated you like that. Please forgive me this time!"
Su Guanqing was about to blurt out "It's okay" when he heard Jiang Tong's cold voice say, "Since Master Xu is willing to condescend to apologize, I will naturally repair this painting for you with great care. I will patch up one of these cracks every day until each one is perfectly fixed."
Xu Sheng was shocked. If he continued to make up for the disease in this way, he would not be able to finish it even in his next life, so how could he catch up with the emperor's birthday this year?
"Jiang Tong, you'd better quit while you're ahead. I've already apologized, what else do you want?!" Xu Sheng was very displeased.
"What do you want?" Jiang Tong glanced at him. "I remember that Guan Qing was beaten so badly that he couldn't even walk. Mr. Xu thinks you can just brush it off with a simple "I'm sorry"?"
Xu Sheng was originally a good-for-nothing with an empty heart. Besides his father, the people he feared most in his life were the teacher. When she glanced at him coldly, he immediately felt as if the teacher had found out his weak spot, and his legs went weak in an instant.
The more he felt uneasy, the louder he shouted, "Jiang Tong! Don't think I'm begging you! I..."
"Xu Sheng! Kneel down!" Xu Gong shouted.
"Dad!" Xu Sheng felt very aggrieved.
“Kneel down!”
Xu Sheng didn't dare to disobey and could only kneel down.
"Kowtow and apologize to Master Su!"
Jiang Tong said slowly, "Master Su can't see you kowtow, but he can hear the sound."
Xu Sheng clenched his fists, his eyes turned red, but he could only kowtow.
After kowtowed a dozen times, although his head didn't bleed, it was already blue and purple.
"Guanqing, have you calmed down?" Jiang Tong asked Su Guanqing.
Su Guanqing was still stupid at this time, and just nodded blankly when he heard it.
Jiang Tong then said, "Okay, I'll take this painting. I'm sure it can be presented to Lord Xu in a grand manner on his birthday."
"Can this painting really be restored perfectly in half a year?" Xu Gong was still a little nervous.
He had asked all the craftsmen in the city, but no one could make such a guarantee.
Jiang Tong stood with his hands behind his back, his chin slightly raised, and said in a steady voice: "Others can't, but I can."
For some reason, Xu Gong felt relieved when he saw Jiang Tong's attitude. He said, "If the young lady can truly restore this painting to its original state, I will give you another two hundred taels as a thank you gift."
…
As soon as the Xu family father and son left, Jiang Tong went to see "Early Spring Picture" with her eyes shining.
Jiang Huaishan's eyes lit up as he looked at the box of silver.
Just as he was about to pick up the box, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from behind him and pushed down the lid of the box.
Jiang Tong held the small box and looked at him, his fox eyes narrowing into slits as he smiled. "Dad, with this money, Guan Qing won't have to worry about the medicine anymore, don't you think?"
"Uh... yes, yes." Jiang Huaishan smiled awkwardly.
Jiang Tong picked up the heavy little box and stuffed it into Su Guanqing's arms, who had wandered off somewhere. "Move it to the study."
"Why do you want to move to the study?" Jiang Huaishan was anxious.
"Because there is someone in the study day and night. How can my daughter feel at ease if such a large sum of money is not watched over?" Jiang Tong said with a smile.
"Uh, uh, yes, yes, Tongtong is still the most thoughtful." Jiang Huaishan said hesitantly.
Jiang Tong no longer cared about him. She held the painting and Su Guanqing held the box, and they returned to the study together.
…
After this incident, the father and daughter tacitly put aside their previous unpleasantness.
We were finally able to have dinner at the same table, and the atmosphere was quite joyful.
Jiang Huaishan was very pleased: "Oh, it's not easy to have a meal with Tongtong."
As Jiang Tong picked up some food for Su Guanqing, she said, "You can't blame me for this. I clearly wanted to be a good and filial daughter, but Daddy is so hard-hearted."
Zhong Wanci was holding the bowl and smiling.
The family was in a state of gloom some time ago. Not only did Jiang Huaishan almost break up with her and her daughter, but Jiang Tong also seemed to be separated from them by something.
Tongtong's little face looked scarier than the old scholar whenever she didn't smile. Even she felt frightened, and the relationship between mother and daughter was no longer as close as before.
Now it's all right——
Zhong Wanci looked at Jiang Tong with a smile. Tongtong was still the lively and lovely Tongtong.
She smiled and looked around the table——
Zhao Quesheng continued to eat her like a kitten, without making a sound.
Su Guanqing just kept his head down and ate. He couldn't see and just ate whatever was put into his mouth.
But... the child had a smile on his face and was obviously in a very good mood.
Su Guanqing was in a good mood, but not just because of Xu Sheng's apology today, but more because of Jiang Tong's love for him.
He had been constantly wondering what Jiang Tong felt towards him these days, and only now did he finally understand.
Tongtong has done so much for me, how can I still doubt her sincerity?
He had been waiting for many years, hoping that Tongtong would look back at him, and now it seemed that the clouds had finally cleared and the moon was visible.
Seeing Su Guanqing's smile getting wider and wider, Zhong Wanci also smiled and said, "Guanqing, you have finally let go of your worries."
"Yes," Su Guanqing responded quickly, "and I also want to thank Tongtong for standing up for me."
"You are mine. How can I let anyone bully you?" Jiang Tong said as he put a meatball into Su Guanqing's bowl.
Su Guanqing picked up the meatballs with his chopsticks and put them into his mouth. He chewed the meat without saying a word, just smiling.
Jiang Tong likes this look of him the most. He eats whatever she feeds him.
He ate with relish and she was happy to feed him.
"Eat this, it's delicious."
"Well, okay."
"Is it tasty?"
"tasty."
The dining table in the room was not big, and it was a bit crowded for five people to sit around it.
When Jiang Tong picked up some food for Su Guanqing, the corners of their clothes and sleeves inevitably touched each other, and they looked very affectionate.
They themselves didn't notice that Jiang Huaishan and Zhong Wanci, who were sitting opposite them, looked at each other, and their smiles suddenly became a little stiff.
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