Chapter 26 Wen Xingluo Enters Xie Guanlan's Study for the Second Time
Wansong Courtyard, west wing.
Xie Guanlan leaned back in the official hat chair and flipped through Wen Xingluo's articles page by page.
Wen Xingluo stood in front of the desk with his hands behind his back, staring down at the toes of his embroidered shoes.
The air was filled with the faint scent of ink. Two windows with crabapple flowers were opened on the wall. As the first month of the year was coming to an end, a peach tree by the window was faintly sprouting some green buds.
This should have been a suitable study environment, but because he was alone with Xie Guanlan, Wen Xingluo felt like every day was a torment and he wished he could leave immediately.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Guanlan finally put down the stack of articles and said, "The foundation is too poor."
Wen Xingluo bit her lip.
If she had a good foundation, would she still need him to teach her?
"Calligraphy requires both form and meaning. Miss Wen's calligraphy has form but no meaning; a closer look reveals a lack of character." Xie Guanlan commented, "'Words need bones, like the body of a tree.' If Miss Wen really wants to learn calligraphy, she might as well learn to paint first."
"Painting?"
Wen Xingluo suspected that Xie Guanlan wanted to trick her.
"Paint plum blossoms. In the next half month, Miss Wen does not need to practice calligraphy. Just paint five pictures of plum blossoms every day." After Xie Guanlan gave the order, he was too lazy to say anything more and left.
Wen Xingluo walked to the desk and compared his handwriting with Xie Guanlan's.
His calligraphy is sometimes as elegant as floating clouds, sometimes as vigorous as dragon bones, and contains a myriad of styles, which is truly pleasing to the eye.
"Painting plum blossoms..."
Wen Xingluo realized that Xie Guanlan wanted her to learn the character of plum blossoms.
By depicting the rugged and vigorous plum blossoms, the spirit is integrated into calligraphy.
But Wen Xingluo’s favorite tree is not the plum tree.
Although plum blossom is one of the four gentlemen, she prefers peach blossom.
Peach blossoms bloom at the beginning of spring, representing a cluster of flowers and the rebirth of all things.
And she is a freshman.
Thinking of this, Wen Xingluo spread out paper and ground ink, and began to sketch the peach tree outside Ruyi's window on the paper.
Xie Guanlan ordered Wen Xingluo to paint five paintings every day.
Wen Xingluo painted all the peach trees in Wansongyuan, and would not stop until he had painted more than ten pictures every day.
Half a month later, Xie Guanlan stepped into the west wing again and saw the piles of paintings on the desk, and he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
Wen Xingluo stood beside him: "Please check it out, my lord."
Xie Guanlan looked at them one by one.
The girl did not slack off and poured her heart and soul into every painting.
Some are peach trees shrouded in mist at dawn, some are peach trees in the cold rain, and some paintings seem to have been painted when the artist woke up in the middle of the night. In the paintings, the lanterns hanging under the window cast a warm yellow glow, and a young peach tree appears and disappears in the night, growing freely.
Xie Guanlan held down the drawing papers.
He opened his eyes.
The girl was standing just under the window.
The early spring light shines in, and the girl's face is as rosy as a peach blossom. Although she is a delicate and slender girl, her eyes and eyebrows are full of vitality that climbs upward, just like the peach blossoms she paints.
He said, "You can start practicing calligraphy now."
Wen Xingluo was pleasantly surprised, and then heard Xie Guanlan say, "I have a lot of calligraphy works by famous calligraphers in my study. You can pick a few and study them every day. It will be of great benefit to you."
This was the second time Wen Xingluo entered Xie Guanlan's study.
His study was solemn and simple, with almost no antiques or treasures, only mountains of old books and various calligraphy and paintings.
Turning into the inner room, she saw an antique display cabinet filled with seals.
There are various materials, including hibiscus quartz, litchi jelly, Shoushan stone, bloodstone, Fengmenqing, etc., which are probably all collections of Xie Guanlan.
Xie Guanlan picked out several calligraphy books suitable for women to copy.
Catching a glimpse of Wen Xingluo's gaze, he asked, "Do you like seals?"
Wen Xingluo whispered, "Will I have my own seal in the future?"
Just like big brother and big sister.
I have a private seal with my own name on it, which I keep in my purse. I can use it to carve a vermilion seal on the corner of my work, or to stamp the books I buy to indicate that they belong to me.
Wen Xingluo always felt that owning a seal was a very elegant thing.
It was not until she noticed the gaze from the side that she remembered she was talking to Xie Guanlan.
This person has a kind face but a black heart. He is a fire in public but a knife in private. I don’t know how he will laugh at me.
She looked away from the seals and said, "I was just saying that."
She took the calligraphy from Xie Guanlan and bowed earnestly: "Thank you, my lord. After I have read it, I will return it to you in good condition."
Xie Guanlan watched her leave.
The emerald green silk ribbon tied behind the girl's bun fluttered up with her steps.
Such bright and vivid colors floated softly across his study.
It's like spring has come.
The young man's slender hands scratched unconsciously.
It seems as if I want to keep this moment of spring.
…
Just when Wen Xingluo was concentrating on practicing calligraphy, the Wen family.
Because the house is not big, the brothers and sisters share a study.
Wen Yueyin sat under the window with her face propped up, but she had no intention of practicing calligraphy.
Anyway, her calligraphy has always been very good. In her previous life, it was selected by the Master to be exhibited in the Xihe Gallery. I believe she will be selected in this life as well.
As she thought about it, she picked up a brush and sketched a handsome profile on the paper.
The Crown Prince...
She would have to wait another two years before she could follow her father to Beijing and arrange her marriage with the Crown Prince.
She was waiting in agony.
She stared at the profile on the paper with longing and couldn't help sighing.
Wen Rufeng's concerned voice came from not far away: "Why is Yue Yin sighing for no reason?"
"Nothing." Wen Yueyin covered the portrait. "Brother's calligraphy will definitely be selected by the teacher for this garden party."
After all, my eldest brother will be the third place in the imperial examination two years later.
His cursive script was so beautiful that it amazed the world. His calligraphy works were circulated and countless scholars imitated them!
Wen Rufeng frowned when he heard this.
His handwriting is actually not that good, only average in the academy.
For some reason, he has been feeling uneasy these days, as if he shouldn't be as mediocre as he is now.
He suspected that he hadn't rested enough, which was why he had this illusion, so he smiled and said, "It doesn't matter whether I get chosen or not, as long as Yue Yin is chosen, it's fine. After all, you're so outstanding!"
Wen Yueyin said mysteriously, "Brother, not only will you and I be in the spotlight at this garden party, but Third Brother will also be in the spotlight. Do you believe it?"
Wen Rufeng was puzzled: "Why did Yue Yin say that?"
Wen Yueyin's smile was even more mysterious.
According to her memories of her previous life, her third brother would meet the benefactor of his life at a martial arts competition at a garden party, and from then on he would join the army and rise to prominence.
Their family’s good days are about to officially begin!
But she couldn't tell her elder brother these secrets yet.
She said in a delicate voice: "You will know when the time comes!"
…
In March, the spring breeze blows and the willows are as thin as threads.
When Wen Xingluo came back from the academy and stepped into the west wing, Xie Guanlan had already arrived and was looking through the calligraphy she had practiced over the past two days.
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