548 Messing Around
[What nonsense. This is too ridiculous. Did he call my master over just to watch a brat like him write? It’s already good enough that he can calculate well. Why are you asking him to do calligraphy? What a joke.]
Just as Zhou Li and his disciples were looking down on him, the tourists surrounding the living room outside also discussed this matter in low voices.
“This child looks like he’s only seven or eight years old. Does he understand calligraphy?”
“Of course not. What can he know? At his age, he probably doesn’t even know all the Chinese characters.”
“This is too dramatic. Letting a child write an inscription for the resort? What is the boss thinking?”
“That’s right. I don’t understand. Calligraphy is so complicated. Other than Master Zhou Li, no one can write an inscription for this resort.”
“Calligraphy emphasizes on the control of the brush, unevenness, and resonance. Calligraphy is more of an expression of emotions, not a display of technique. Calligraphy is a soundless music and an invisible dance. This is something that only experienced people can do. He’s just a seven or eight-year-old child. How could he have experienced much? His words naturally have no emotions.”
“Beneficial influence, brush strokes, and unevenness are important. Everything has to be done in one go. Both the middle and the sides of the paper have to be used simultaneously. It’s a combination of hardness and softness. Furthermore, brush techniques are important. Calligraphy looks like it simply involves writing words, but there are actually many tricks hidden in it. I don’t think this brat can do it.”
“It’s already not bad that he can hold the brush in the right way. I can simply imagine the words that he will write.”
“The owner of this resort is really muddle-headed. Sigh.”
“That’s right. There’s a master, but he didn’t ask the master to do it. Instead, he let a child do the inscription. I don’t understand.”
“He’s starting to write. He’s starting to write. He looks quite decent.”
“The way he holds the brush is decent. Let’s take a look at the words.”
When the tourists said this, Ye Xuan had already lifted the brush and hung it in the air. He thought for a moment and confidently placed the ink-stained brush on the paper. With a flick of his wrist, a poem appeared on the white paper.
“There are tall buildings in the northwest.”
Then, Ye Xuan dipped the brush in ink and hung the brush high again. He placed it on the paper and wrote the second half of the sentence.
“They are on par with the floating clouds.”
The tip of the brush was elegant and subtle. It was both hard and soft. When the brush landed, it was as if it shocked the wind and rain. The words were as soft as the clouds. It was done in one go without any pause or hesitation. It was decisive and elegant.
The words on the white paper contained every key point of the calligraphy steps. Moreover, they had all been done to the extreme. They were well-arranged, and every stroke reflected a magnificent emotion.
Moreover, there was a painting realm in the words, and there was music in the painting. The music contained the living god of the entire word, and there was a real self in the god. At a glance, it was as if they had been pulled out of reality and were in the painting-like mountains and rivers of ancient times. They were on a small boat with green leaves, listening to the cries of hundreds of birds, enjoying the refreshing breeze in the mountains, and admiring the scenery that was unobstructed for a hundred miles. It was extremely satisfying and enjoyable.
Everyone looked at the words and felt as if a breeze had blown past. They were pulled into the picturesque place to play and were extremely comfortable. When they came back to their senses, they were shocked and discussed this matter.
“Oh my god, Chairman Ye’s calligraphy is simply amazing. I’ve attended so many calligraphy conferences, but I’ve never seen such good calligraphy like the one produced by Chairman Ye. It’s wonderful.”
“It’s really amazing. These words are too beautiful. I love these words too much. Chairman Ye is indeed talented!”
“Chairman Ye is indeed extraordinary to be able to perform such a technique. He must be someone from the heavens. It’s awesome!”
“If this calligraphy was hung at home and I read it every day, my mood would be much better. It’s too comfortable.”
“He’s really amazing. I’ve never seen such good writing in my life. Chairman Ye is really amazing!”
While the CEOs were exclaiming in admiration, the calligraphy and painting master of the Tianjing Calligraphy Association, Zhou Li, was also dumbfounded as he looked at the words.
He trembled as he touched the corner of the white paper. His eyes emitted an indescribable shock. He wanted to touch the words with his hand, but he was afraid that he would mess up the ink that had yet to dry . He suddenly felt like he was in a dream. He looked at the poem and kept shaking his head. After a while, he calmed down and turned to look at Ye Xuan. He bowed and spoke.
“I, Zhou Li, have been in the calligraphy world for more than 30 years. I’ve been learning calligraphy and painting since I was young. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I made some progress. Moreover, at this age, I finally understood the charm of calligraphy and finally broke through the bottleneck to reach the realm of ‘true self’. I originally thought that my calligraphy had already reached a very high realm, so I was rather arrogant and complacent. Now that I’ve seen Chairman Ye’s calligraphy, I understand that there are always people who are better than me.”
“If we want to compete, my writing is really unpresentable. I’ve never seen such charming writing. Here, I, Zhou Li, am willing to acknowledge Chairman Ye as my master and sincerely learn calligraphy from you!”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked again. Looking at Zhou Li’s sincere attitude, they looked at each other and could not believe this scene at all. They did not expect that the master of calligraphy and painting, Zhou Li, would actually be willing to bow down to a brat as a disciple because of a single calligraphy piece.
What was going on? This was simply unheard of!
Ye Xuan was also in a dilemma. He looked at Zhou Li and smiled.
“Grandmaster Zhou, this is really against the rules. Besides, there’s nothing amazing about my calligraphy. With Grandmaster Zhou’s achievements, you’re still a little stronger than me.”
This was Ye Xuan’s tactful rejection. Everyone understood this, and so did Zhou Li. However, he still bowed and cupped his fists.
“Chairman Ye’s calligraphy has already entered the heavenly realm. I, Zhou Li, probably won’t be able to break through this bottleneck in my lifetime. Chairman Ye, I hope that you can take me in as your disciple. I will definitely study sincerely!”
These words caught Ye Xuan between laughter and tears. He shook his head and spoke.
“However, this is indeed too against the rules, Master Zhou. It’s really not good to say this in public. Moreover, it will damage your reputation and cause you a lot of damage in the future, so forget it.”
It was indeed very inappropriate for a master of a generation to acknowledge a child as his master. It was also against the rules. Zhou Li would definitely be humiliated by the outside world and others would have a bad impression of him.
When Zhou Li heard Ye Xuan’s words, he understood the consequences of the matter. However, he felt that he was an idiot at calligraphy. If he could learn better calligraphy, what was there to fear from the outside world?
Therefore, he bowed again and spoke.
“Chairman Ye, don’t worry. I’ll handle it myself. I hope you can accept me as your disciple.”
“Master Zhou, I really can’t do this. I hope you can forgive me.”
When Ye Xuan said this, Zhou Li understood. He immediately let out a long sigh and looked at the words that were placed on the table in a daze. It could be said to be a miracle.
The shock on the faces of the disciples behind him had yet to completely disappear. They looked at their master’s lonely figure in a daze and could not say a word. They didn’t know what to say either.
All the CEOs were also shocked. They looked at one another for a long time with indescribable emotions.
