Ning Zhiheng spoke with a sincere expression and his eyes were full of affection, clearly regarding Fujiwara Hirofumi as a long-lost relative.
Fujiwara Hirofumi was moved. He sighed and said gently, "It must have been hard for you to leave your hometown at such a young age and come to this overseas land. But I see that you have a calm demeanor and look much older than your age."
Fujiwara Hirofumi was also a seasoned politician who had seen countless people and had a keen eye for talent. Ning Zhiheng appeared gentle and refined, not showing off his sharpness, but his temperament was outstanding, making it hard to ignore his presence. This was not something that ordinary people could possess.
Ning Zhiheng faced Fujiwara Hirofumi's scrutinizing gaze with composure. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he quickly turned around, retrieved the three long scroll boxes, and placed them in front of Fujiwara Hirofumi.
He then said, "I heard from Uncle Uehara that you are a great painter, so I specially prepared a few small gifts for you. They are all from Tomohito's heart, and I hope you will accept them!"
It was no secret that Fujiwara Hirofumi loved painting; many people in Japan had presented him with numerous famous paintings to cater to his tastes. Therefore, Fujiwara Hirofumi did not take Ning Zhiheng's words to heart.
He smiled and took the box of paintings, about to put it aside, when Ning Zhiheng continued, "I don't know if these suit your taste. Take a look and see if I've been fooled by these Chinese people!"
Fujiwara Hirofumi, who was about to put down the painting box, suddenly became interested upon hearing Ning Zhiheng's words and nodded with a smile, "Then let's see what treasures you've collected!"
Fujiwara no Hirofumi himself was also a painting expert, a great collector of famous paintings, and had a very high level of connoisseurship.
He opened the painting box and took out a long scroll. Ning Zhiheng stepped forward and grasped the scroll. Fujiwara Hirofumi leaned back and gently unfurled the scroll. His eyes were immediately drawn to it and he couldn't take his eyes off it.
His gaze slowly moved across the painting. The room was silent until, after a long while, Fujiwara Hirofumi sighed softly, "An authentic work! This is an authentic work, an authentic work by Zhou Fang, a famous painter of the Tang Dynasty in China, titled 'Lady in Dress.' And this is a work from his peak period. It's unbelievable!"
At this point, Fujiwara Hirofumi shook his head in admiration. He had never expected that the scroll Ning Zhiheng had given him contained such a precious treasure.
Ning Zhiheng quickly asked with interest, "Uncle, what do you think of this painting? I don't know much about painting, I just know that the most expensive must be the best, so I bought it!"
Fujiwara Hirofumi turned to look at Ning Zhiheng and burst into laughter, pointing at him and teasingly saying, "You're lucky. The person selling the painting didn't lie to you. This is the pinnacle of Chinese figure painting, especially Zhou Fang's figure paintings. They are leisurely and graceful, with plump figures, gorgeous clothes, vigorous and simple brushstrokes, and soft and bright colors. They were unparalleled in their time!"
After speaking, he kept praising the painting, his gaze lingering on it, clearly showing his great fondness for it.
Ning Zhiheng had a keen eye for detail. He had acquired this ancient painting at a high price from an antique shop, so he naturally knew its value. He also knew that Fujiwara Hirofumi had a discerning eye. In order to impress Fujiwara Hirofumi, he went so far as to select three of his best ancient paintings from his collection, and the effect was immediately apparent!
“Uncle, take another look at these two paintings,” Ning Zhiheng said with a smile.
"Okay, okay, let's take another look!"
Fujiwara Hirofumi's interest was immediately piqued by Zhou Fang's painting of a noble lady. He then picked up another painting box, took out the scroll, and unfolded it, only to be stunned once again.
This is "Plum Blossoms in Winter Snow" by Wang Mian, a master plum blossom painter of the Yuan Dynasty. The plum blossoms in the painting are dense and the branches are lush, full of life and vigor, making it another masterpiece.
"Good, good, very good!" Fujiwara Hirofumi exclaimed three times. This time, without Ning Zhiheng's prompting, he put down the painting and immediately picked up the third scroll.
This time, he was not disappointed. The third painting was none other than "Fangshan Tu," a masterpiece of landscape painting by Shen Zhou, a famous painter of the Ming Dynasty.
Fujiwara Hirofumi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. He placed the three paintings on his desk, carefully examined them, and gently moved his fingers across the canvases. He said with emotion, "I'm so lucky today. To have such a harvest so soon after arriving in China is truly remarkable. China's thousands of years of historical heritage are indeed extraordinary. Tomohito, I am very satisfied with these three paintings. I can tell you put a lot of thought into them. Thank you for your hard work!"
Seeing that everything went as he expected, Ning Zhiheng smiled and said, "You flatter me too much. It's wonderful that Uncle is satisfied!"
Fujiwara Hirofumi knew that these three paintings were definitely valuable, and it was clear that this junior had put a lot of effort into acquiring these masterpieces.
He looked at Ning Zhiheng and said with a smile, "Zhiren, I'll be staying in Shanghai for a while this time. If you have some free time, how about we tour this Far Eastern metropolis together?"
Ning Zhiheng was overjoyed upon hearing this. He showed a look of surprise and quickly nodded, saying, "Uncle, I'm always available and can be your guide at any time. By the way, you like painting, and I know there are several very famous Chinese painters in Shanghai who usually gather at the Mulan Academy. I am also a member of the academy. If you agree, I can gather these painters so that we can all learn from each other. What do you think?"
Throughout history, powerful and influential people have enjoyed indulging in refined pursuits, and Fujiwara no Hirofumi was no exception. Upon hearing this, he exclaimed with delight, "Excellent! Let's go take a look together in a few days. I never imagined that Shanghai had such a rich artistic atmosphere. It's wonderful!"
The two chatted happily, and for a moment they even forgot the time. It wasn't until Fujiwara Hirofumi was indeed feeling tired that Ning Zhiheng took his leave.
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