Duanmu Ci glanced at Wei Yue unconsciously, wondering if, a hundred years later, he would feel the same way when he thought of this person again.
The answer is yes.
One by one, my friends have become tombstones; the world is without kindred spirits. What a tragedy this is!
Wei Yue found the look in Duanmu Ci's eyes strange, even eerie, and definitely not normal.
Before they knew it, they passed by one old shop after another, as if they had traveled through different periods of time.
Wei Yue acted more like a local than Duanmu Ci. "Duanmu, look at that shop. The signboard above the door is said to have been written by Zhang Taiyan. And that one, I heard it opened in the eleventh year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, but the owners have changed several times. Hmm, and this one across the street, I heard the porcelain they sell was secretly taken from the Forbidden City by the last Manchu emperor, Puyi..."
It's obvious that Wei Yue did thorough research before coming here, which is why she knows the situation so well. Sometimes, even Duanmu Ci has to admit defeat when it comes to her level of meticulousness.
"Where is Banbizhai? Why aren't we here yet?" Duanmu Ci's tone was as if someone was actually waiting for him there.
Wei Yue was already somewhat used to his old friend's "intermittent mental instability." He thought for a moment, "It'll probably be another three minutes' walk, in the alley you turn left into."
...
...
Banbizhai is an old shop, so old that no one knows when it appeared here. It seems to have always existed on this street and has never disappeared.
The young guest stood in front of a small pavilion, looking up at the signboard of "Banbizhai". The strokes were vigorous and powerful, surely the work of a master!
Sure enough, Wei Yue explained from the side, "I heard that the signboard of Banbizhai was written by the great calligrapher Yu Youren during the Republic of China era. However, the shop owner was afraid that the signboard would be stolen by thieves, so he made a copy. This one is a rubbing. The original has long been hidden away."
Duanmu Ci nodded, then together with Wei Yue, pushed open the carved double wooden door of "Banbizhai" and calmly stepped into the place.
Duanmu Ci looked up and saw many people.
On the way here, Duanmu Ci had asked Wei Yue, "How could a newcomer like you know this kind of news, and so promptly at that? Do you have some special intelligence source?"
Wei Yue smiled and said, "Duanmu Jun, I ran away from home this time. Would I just wander off to any random place? I came to Haishan not for any other reason, but because my mother is from Haishan."
"A Haishan native?" This was the first time Duanmu Ci had learned of Wei Yue's mother's place of origin.
“Yes, he’s from Haishan.” Wei Yue nodded. “The old owner of this Banbizhai shop was actually my mother’s calligraphy teacher. He taught my mother calligraphy, and I still keep in touch with him. I ask someone to bring him a gift from Japan during holidays, so he also informed me of any important news.” He paused for a moment. “I like calligraphy.”
...
...
The interior structure of Banbizhai is actually no different from that of an ordinary attic, only more stylish. Behind the rolled-up curtain, someone is playing the zither, someone is demonstrating a tea competition in the main hall, and the bronze-cast tripod incense burner is emitting wisps of smoke, bringing a fragrant aroma to the air.
Under the paper window on the left, there are several rows of rattan chairs, where some elderly people and some young people are sitting.
Seeing Duanmu Ci's gaze drift in that direction, Wei Yue explained softly, "The appearance of Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy is a great event in the calligraphy world. However, the host here does not want too many people to know about it, so he only invited a dozen or so familiar calligraphy enthusiasts to come and appreciate it. As for those young people, they are rising stars in the calligraphy world who came along to broaden their horizons."
“You and I belong to this category of people who come here to broaden our horizons,” Wei Yue concluded.
"Oh, so this 'rising star' is also here to broaden his horizons?" Duanmu Ci gestured in the direction with his eyes.
Wei Yue glanced at it and shook her head. "I don't know it."
Duanmu Ci chuckled, "But I know him—Young Master Tang, Tang Rui!"
...
...
Speaking of which, Tang Rui was in a really good mood today, not only because of the weather, but also because his grandfather had given him an important task: to come to Banbizhai to look at calligraphy models! To be honest, if the old man hadn't suddenly had some health problems, he would have come by himself long ago, and it wouldn't have been his turn.
As expected, opportunity always favors the prepared mind. I have been practicing calligraphy since I was a child, and I have almost reached the point of mastering it. Among the younger generation, I am quite accomplished and can be proud of myself!
So what if Tang Ke graduated from Stanford University? Mastering the skill of making the old man happy is the real key!
He had suffered a setback at Crane Garden, losing to a man named Duanmu Ci, and was very unwilling to accept it. He never expected to meet him here again today... What was that saying again? Oh, right!
What a small world!
Tang Rui inwardly resented this, but his expression remained warm and friendly as he introduced the renowned calligraphers around him with a smile, "Gentlemen, this brother is named Duanmu Ci, a descendant of a distinguished family, and also a partner of my Tang family; as for the person beside him, he must be his friend, but anyone who can befriend Brother Duanmu must also be extraordinary!"
His words were so tactful and considerate that an outsider might have thought they were close friends who had just met by chance.
Duanmu Ci looked at Tang Rui with some amusement; this little guy wasn't exactly a simple character either.
Tang Rui smiled and said, "Xianzhi's calligraphy copybook will be available in a while. Why don't we take advantage of this free time to invite you gentlemen to give us juniors some pointers on our skills? What do you gentlemen think?"
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