Chapter 79: Naples Yellow (2) It begins with this, and it ends with this...
The client He Chuan met in Beijing was a wealthy businessman who collected calligraphy and paintings and owned a small private exhibition hall. Among his collection, He Chuan spotted more than a dozen pieces of calligraphy by Lin Haisheng. The businessman explained that he had purchased them from Lin Haisheng's widow at a high price. She claimed they were his final works, and that he would never have sold them if he hadn't been short of money.
He Chuan asked a friend to contact an insider in the collection industry for a private investigation and learned that He Ping had been active in the domestic and international calligraphy and painting circles in recent years. Every year or so, he would use Liu Kairen to quietly sell a batch of Lin Haisheng's "posthumous works", all of which were complete with seals and inscriptions, and were all authentic works authenticated by experts, making a considerable profit.
Lin Haisheng was known for being frugal with his brush and ink, rarely inscribing or selling his calligraphy. Therefore, the price of his handwritten calligraphy is consistently high among calligraphers of his caliber. It's an indisputable fact that he burned all his works at home before his death. It's understandable that He Ping possessed a few of the calligraphy and paintings Lin Haisheng left her, but such a large number is unreasonable. And if these works were forged by her, where did the expert's authentication come from? Could they also be fabrications?
Lin Xia and He Chuan studied the matter for a long time, ultimately concluding that the calligraphy was undoubtedly by Lin Haisheng, but it wasn't the one he left for He Ping, but rather a discarded draft. Lin Haisheng was known for his meticulous attention to detail, often creating dozens, even hundreds, of drafts before selecting the best and discarding the rest. He Chuan recognized this when Lin Haisheng accidentally made a typo while writing, jokingly saying it was due to his aging eyesight. The mistake left a lasting impression on him, and the draft, supposedly discarded, had surprisingly turned up in the wealthy merchant's collection.
Therefore, they speculated that He Ping had been privately collecting Lin Haisheng's discarded calligraphy and paintings over the years. After He Chuan refused to cooperate in the forgery, she found someone to frame the discarded calligraphy and forged his seal. She did not dare to sell them publicly, so she only sold them privately through Liu Kairen. After all, her identity as a widow was known to everyone, and the inheritance lawsuit that year even indirectly confirmed her relationship with Lin Haisheng. As long as the calligraphy was authentic, no one would doubt it.
"Even if it's just waste paper, the ownership belongs to Grandpa. After Grandpa passes away, the estate will be distributed according to the legal inheritance. She has no right to dispose of it arbitrarily." Lin Xia asked Lin Xuedong, "So, Dad, what are your thoughts?"
He Ping's behavior is already illegal and unreasonable, and He Chuan is unable to stop it. Lin Xia is a generation apart and does not covet the inheritance. So the only stakeholder is Lin Xuedong. As Lin Haisheng's biological son and the rightful heir to the inheritance, he is the only one qualified to claim his rights.
So, what are his thoughts?
After hearing what Lin Xia said, Lin Xuedong was silent for a long time. He subconsciously took out the cigarette box in his arms, picked up a cigarette and wanted to light it, but then he remembered this year's physical examination report. Wang Li saw that he had quit smoking for a long time.
He took the unlit cigarette from his lips, rubbed it in his hands for a long time, and crushed it hard in the empty and clean ashtray, as if he had really completed the entire smoking ritual. He sighed softly and said lightly:
"After all, she served the old man for so many years, so she must have left something behind. How could the old man not know what kind of person she was? The old man didn't say anything before he died. If she wants money, then let her have it. It has nothing to do with me."
Lin Xia had a vague suspicion that Lin Xuedong wouldn't pursue the matter, as he had never harbored a strong desire for Lin Haisheng's property. It was Zhao Qianyi who had led the inheritance lawsuit, and he had simply been provoked by He Ping and felt a pang of anger. But Lin Xia hadn't expected Lin Xuedong to give up so easily. After all, it was the allure of real money, and before money, human nature was nothing.
Lin Xia tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help asking, "Why did Grandpa burn all the calligraphy when he passed away?"
Was this truly his final wish? Why did he allow He Ping to secretly hoard the discarded manuscripts? Why didn't he leave her any property? Why didn't he even give He Ping a legitimate status for so many years? Why is everything Lin Haisheng did always so contradictory and twisted?
"Because he's a twisted person."
Lin Xuedong chuckled, a little helpless and a little sarcastic. "He didn't want to forgive or compromise, but he also didn't want to be ungrateful. He saw through the disguise, but refused to face reality. He was caught in a dilemma. In the end, he let down both the newcomers and the old ones."
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Lin Haisheng wasn't originally from Wangchun. He had come to the countryside to work in 1967. Back then, Wangchun was still a wasteland, with only one village called Lijiatun. Among that group of educated youth sent to the countryside, he was the only university graduate. Despite his poverty, he was handsome, well-mannered, and had excellent handwriting, standing out from the crowd at first glance.
Li Chunjiang, the daughter of the deputy team leader, fell in love with him, but he despised her because she was illiterate. To keep him as his son-in-law, the deputy team leader used tricks to get him punished and unable to return to the city. He also used his power to threaten and force him into doing the most tiring, difficult, and dangerous work. After a year of torture, he was almost dead, but he finally gave in and married Li Chunjiang.
After marriage, he treated his wife coldly, but she tried to please him in every way. Although Li Chunjiang was uneducated, she was simple, hardworking and enthusiastic. Not only did she take care of all the housework, washing clothes and cooking, and waited on him attentively, she also did all the farm work for him. During those years, she earned all the work points in the family alone, and her body became ill. People are not plants or trees, so they support each other in their hard-earned days, and their relationship has eased a lot. A few years later, they have a son, of course, Lin Xuedong.
Li Chunjiang always put Lin Haisheng first and obeyed him in every way, except for one thing: she would not let him leave. She knew that this marriage was forced by her, and if she let Lin Haisheng leave, he would never come back. In 1977, Lin Haisheng finally had another chance to return to the city, and even to go back to the Normal University to continue his studies. He promised that after graduation he would come back and take mother and son to Beijing, but Li Chunjiang refused to do so. She even threatened to commit suicide, crying, making a scene, and even hanging herself. The incident became known to everyone. Lin Haisheng had no choice but to give up his studies and stay.
The couple stayed, but this incident caused a crack in their already shallow relationship.
The following year, Wangchun was established as a city due to forestry and mining. The forest farm went to the villages below to recruit workers. In those days, workers were treated much better than farmers. Lin Haisheng applied for the job and was selected. So his family of three moved from Lijiatun to Wangchun City.
Although Lin Haisheng had only graduated from university, his academic qualifications were still far ahead of his peers. Moreover, he had beautiful handwriting and was appreciated by his superiors. Within a few days, he was transferred from the forest area to the office as a clerk, organizing documents and writing materials. He had a high salary and leisurely work, and his family's life became better and better since then.
However, having left the simple social environment of the countryside, Li Chunjiang found the city life difficult to adapt to. Any slight in her mind made her suspect Lin Haisheng was abandoning her and her son, and she suspected any woman who approached him, whether neighbors or colleagues, of seducing him. This led to frequent arguments between them. Li Chunjiang, who had mastered Lin Haisheng's temperament and his pride, frequently threatened him with death, forcing him to avoid business trips or social events. Even if he returned home a little late from work, he would find Li Chunjiang tying a rope to the beams. The more she treated him, the colder Lin Haisheng became. He would spend his days at home practicing calligraphy and reading, refusing to speak to her. Li Chunjiang hated brushes, inkstones, and paper, often tearing up and burning Lin Haisheng's work, driving her mad. This vicious cycle tormented both of them, leaving them both in agony. A conflict was only a matter of time.
In 1987, Lin Haisheng's mentor, Ji Songting, celebrated his eightieth birthday. His former classmates from the Normal University gathered in Beijing. Coincidentally, Li Chunjiang was visiting his family in the countryside, so Lin Haisheng took the opportunity to go out. Reuniting with his teacher and classmates after so many years was filled with emotion. Over a hearty meal and a lively dinner, they wrote inscriptions to commemorate the occasion. Ten years of turmoil, the ups and downs of fame and fortune, had eroded their skills. Among the group, Lin Haisheng possessed the most profound calligraphy skills, the most impressive strokes. Upon learning that he was currently a section-level clerk at the county forestry farm, everyone expressed regret. Zou Jie, his senior at Northeast Normal University, immediately invited him to teach.
After Lin Haisheng returned to Wangchun, he told Li Chunjiang about the matter. The latter naturally cried and made a fuss and disagreed, but this time Lin Haisheng was determined. He only gave Li Chunjiang two choices, either divorce or let him go to Changchun. Even when Li Chunjiang tried to hang herself again, he watched her hanging on the rope coldly without even reaching out his hand.
Li Chunjiang finally gave in and refused to divorce, so she had no choice but to let Lin Haisheng go. After that, Lin Haisheng went to Changchun to work. Apart from sending money monthly, he returned home during the Spring Festival and had almost no news from her. He never even sent a letter to Wangchun, and this continued until Li Chunjiang passed away several years later.
In 1998, Lin Haisheng met He Ping at university. Although she had called him "teacher" all her life, she was not actually his student. She wasn't well-educated, but she was gentle, considerate, and virtuous, a stark contrast to Li Chunjiang. When Lin Haisheng's old house caught fire, he threw himself inside, regardless of the age difference. Their relationship sparked rumors at school. At the time, society was still relatively undeveloped, and Lin Haisheng, with his pride and arrogance, simply applied for medical retirement and took He Ping back to Wangchun.
After graduating from technical secondary school, Lin Xuedong secured a permanent position in the district. During Lin Haisheng's years away, he cared for Li Chunjiang. The child had always been closer to his mother, and Lin Haisheng, a quiet and reserved person, had become less close to Lin Xuedong because of Li Chunjiang. From a young age, Lin Xuedong naturally believed that Lin Haisheng had let them down. After Li Chunjiang's death, the relationship between Lin Xuedong and Lin Haisheng reached a freezing point, with the two even engaging in physical violence.
As Lin Xuedong matured and heard more and more stories about the past from those around him, even from Li Chunjiang's relatives, he realized that many of Li Chunjiang's complaints were too emotionally tinged. Lin Haisheng also had his own difficulties. It was difficult to say who was right or wrong in this marriage, but it could only be said that it was wrong from the beginning. Caught between his parents, Lin Xuedong felt both resentment and guilt towards Lin Haisheng.
A few years later, when Lin Haisheng returned to Wangchun from university to recuperate, with He Ping by his side, Lin Xuedong felt extremely complicated, but he could only choose to remain silent.
Before her death, Li Chunjiang clutched Lin Haisheng's hand and forced him to curse and vow not to remarry, threatening that even in his ghostly state, he would not let him go. Lin Haisheng had been cruel to Li Chunjiang while she was alive, and after her death, he felt guilty about her and unwilling to break his final promise. He Ping, however, was a discerning observer, treading carefully to gain advantage. She simply stated that she wasn't seeking fame or wealth in her relationship with her teacher, believing that Lin Haisheng would eventually relent. Unexpectedly, this dragged on for years.
Perhaps at the beginning, they were sincere. If one was really after money and the other after sex, it wouldn't be a good choice for them. But human nature is always so complex and changeable, and many relationships deteriorate over time. No one knows whether Lin Haisheng was naive at his age and thought He Ping was only after him, or whether he knew her true nature and was on guard until the end.
When Lin Haisheng left his will before his death, he asked Lin Xuedong for his opinion. He wanted to leave the house to He Ping for her retirement, and asked Lin Xuedong whether he wanted money or paintings.
The painting is much more valuable than money, but Lin Xuedong still only asked for the money. If it wasn't for paying off Zhao Qianyi's debt, he might not even want the money. He said that his mother didn't want to see calligraphy and paintings at home, she didn't like them.
So Lin Haisheng asked him to find matches and a brazier and burn all his works in the house in Xiaolin Farm.
What burned along with the blazing flames was not only the rice paper and ink, but also the lifelong grievances and entanglements between these three people.
Love, hate, money, interests, everything will return to dust, ashes will return to ashes, it started this way and it will end this way.
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