Ignoring Old Master Bai's protests, Bai Qianmo moved the wine bottle next to him to another location.
He then got up and brewed a cup of ginseng tea for Elder Bai.
"Alcohol is a poison that goes straight through the intestines; one must know when to stop."
Old Master Bai accepted the teacup with a pitiful expression, poured a full glass of wine beside him, but then stopped moving.
The family chuckled to themselves; in the entire Bai family, the only one who could keep the old man in check was probably Qianmo.
We had a cozy dinner.
It's still early
The old man invited Gu Jueye to play chess.
Just then, an unexpected guest suddenly arrived at the door.
Old Bai personally went out to greet him, laughing, "What wind blew you here, you old rascal?"
"What wind? It's just a show-off! I can come whenever I want, so what? Isn't your front door always open for me?"
Old Bai scoffed, "You wish!"
The relationship between the two can be discerned from their conversation; they are playful banter but are definitely close friends.
The two walked into the living room together.
"Hey, they were all here when I arrived today!"
"Mr. Tang!"
The Bai brothers, Kangcheng and Kangyan, immediately stepped forward to greet them!
Old Tang waved his hand and looked at the younger generation.
When he saw Gu Jueye and Bai Qianmo, a glimmer of light appeared in his cloudy eyes.
"It's a family gathering today; even my granddaughter's husband is here!"
Old Tang joked, but Old Bai, standing beside him, said expressionlessly, "Don't talk nonsense, it's not even close to being settled yet."
Although she had already accepted Gu Jueye in her heart, the two of them had not yet discussed marriage, so calling him "grandson-in-law" was indeed a bit premature.
"You wouldn't come to my temple without a reason, you must have something to ask me about."
Old Tang chuckled twice: "Look at what you're saying, can't I just come to see if my old friend is still in good health?"
"Come on, you're the kind of person who runs to wherever there's treasure. My little temple isn't worth your discerning eyes."
After all, they were old friends, and they knew each other's intentions without saying much.
Old Tang laughed and said, "As expected of someone who has spent most of his life in politics, his mind is still so... not simple."
I always suspected he had ulterior motives for coming, even though I always guessed correctly.
"Let's talk in my study!"
The two entered the study
Without any hesitation, Old Tang looked around and stopped in front of a row of bookshelves.
"Old Bai, you've collected quite a few good things. I've been looking for this glass lamp for a long time, and I never expected to find it in your old haunt. Are you selling it or not?"
"You can't afford the price!" Old Bai ground the millstone, coldly refusing.
"Hehe, just name a price. As long as you can name it, I will naturally find a way to raise the money for you. The Beijing circle has no shortage of wealthy and powerful people."
Old Bai lifted his eyelids and glanced at Old Tang: "You really know how to be shrewd, using other people's money to run your own business. But this bottle is priceless in my eyes. No matter how much money you have, I won't sell it. Let's get down to business."
With a smile on his face, Old Tang walked to the mahogany chair in front of his desk and sat down.
"I heard that Ye Bai's 'Clouds, Rain, Mountains and Rivers' is in your possession. Could you sell this painting to me?" Old Tang's words were noticeably more serious than when he was discussing the glass lamp earlier.
Old Bai remained silent, knowing that the old man was not joking.
He really had his eye on his precious painting.
"Not for sale!"
“Old Bai, you can only appreciate this painting by yourself. Ye Bai has only two paintings in total. One of them, ‘The Other Shore Flower,’ is on display for thousands of people at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. But only a few people know about this painting. This is not fair to Ye Bai. His works should be seen by people all over the world. Such a painting with a unique personal style and scientific content should not be buried.”
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