Beside her, Qiao Xiaoyu pouted at Zhou Hong's quick address.
"Zhou Hong, you and Xiaoyu should get along well from now on. Xiaoyu is gentle, and she doesn't have high demands for boys; as long as you treat her well," Qiao Xiaoyu's mother, Liu Liying, also said with a smile. Her voice was very gentle, seemingly similar to Qiao Xiaoyu's.
"Mhm, thank you, Mom."
"Oh, you're welcome."
Qiao Xiaoyu's mother nodded repeatedly, but she was a little puzzled. Zhou Hong, apart from being quite handsome, didn't seem particularly special. How could Master Duan value him so much?
"Zhou Hong, let's go to my study and chat," Qiao Wanli said to Zhou Hong.
"Okay, Grandpa."
Zhou Hong followed Qiao Wanli into a study in the villa.
At this moment, the study was adorned with many calligraphies and paintings. On the desk, there was also an unfinished portrait of what seemed to be a fierce tiger.
"Grandpa, why are there so many paintings and calligraphies?" Zhou Hong asked. He was quite interested in these artworks, as in his previous life, he had achieved considerable success in this area. Once, someone had paid him ten thousand taels of gold for a painting. Seeing so many artworks in the study today, he had almost forgotten his past obsession with such things.
"Hehe, these are all my works. What do you think? Are they decent?" Qiao Wanli said with a somewhat proud smile.
"They're alright, but the brushwork is insufficient. They look good at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they lack some spirit. In other words, they have good presentation but no vitality."
Qiao Wanli couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself, "Kid, how dare you say that? I'm an expert in calligraphy and painting. I wouldn't dare say I'm the best in Jinzhou City, but the number of people who can surpass me can be counted on one hand."
Zhou Hong then looked at a painting of a crane hanging on the wall.
After looking for a while, Zhou Hong smiled and said, "This crane, like the calligraphy, gives a good impression at first glance but lacks vitality."
"Hehe, Zhou Hong, I didn't expect you to understand calligraphy and painting as well."
"Haha, I only know a little," Zhou Hong smiled modestly.
"Then tell me, what constitutes vitality?"
"Putting aside other things, take this crane, for example. It's obvious that it's a painting. A crane with vitality would give a sense of being alive."
"You speak so eloquently. Where in the world are there such paintings and calligraphies? A painting is just a painting; what do you mean by 'alive'?" Qiao Wanli chuckled wryly.
Zhou Hong didn't say much more. Qiao Wanli's words indicated that his attainments in calligraphy and painting were only so-so.
In his previous life, although Zhou Hong wasn't the absolute top expert in this field on the Purple Cloud Continent, he believed he was hundreds of times better than Qiao Wanli.
Qiao Wanli looked at Zhou Hong, who showed no signs of shock after examining his artworks. He felt a slight sense of regret. He had brought Zhou Hong to the study partly to show off, but it turned out... Zhou Hong found his calligraphy and paintings mediocre.
"Zhou Hong, do you know that my calligraphy and paintings form a unique school and are quite famous in Jinzhou City?" Qiao Wanli said with a smile.
"Really? And this is considered famous?" Zhou Hong looked at Qiao Wanli with confusion.
Qiao Wanli was almost angered to death. That tone was too arrogant.
"Zhou Hong, it's fine if you say this to me, but you can't say it carelessly outside."
"Why?"
"If you go out and say that Qiao Wanli's calligraphy and paintings are mediocre, people will laugh at you."
"Hehe." Zhou Hong forced a bitter smile. Well, if he didn't show off his skills today, Qiao Wanli would truly think he was pretending to know things he didn't.
"Grandpa, since that's the case, how about I also write a piece of calligraphy and paint a picture?" Zhou Hong said with a smile.
"You?" Qiao Wanli looked at Zhou Hong with some doubt.
"Hehe, I'll write a Man Jiang Hong, just like yours."
Zhou Hong walked to the desk, spread out a piece of Xuan paper, picked up a brush, and with swift strokes, *shua shua shua*.
In one go, a piece of Man Jiang Hong appeared on the paper.
Qiao Wanli hurried over, looking at Zhou Hong's Man Jiang Hong in disbelief.
"This...?" Qiao Wanli was stunned. He quickly picked up his reading glasses, as if to see more clearly, in case it was an illusion.
He looked left and right, countless times. This calligraphy was the best he had ever seen in his life. It truly possessed a sense of murderous aura.
"My heavens, did you really write this?"
"Hehe, didn't you just see it?" Zhou Hong said with a helpless smile.
Qiao Wanli took down the calligraphy he had written. The two identical Man Jiang Hong pieces looked the same at first glance, but upon closer inspection, Zhou Hong's writing seemed to draw the eye. The characters were indescribably stunning.
Qiao Wanli sat down on a stool, staring at Zhou Hong in shock. He never expected Zhou Hong to have such high attainments in the field of calligraphy.
"Grandpa, it's time for dinner," Qiao Xiaoyu said, entering the study from outside.
Qiao Xiaoyu saw her grandfather sitting there blankly, his eyes fixed on the painting on the table.
"What's wrong, Grandpa?" Qiao Xiaoyu asked curiously.
"Xiaoyu, have you seen this calligraphy? The ink hasn't even dried yet," Qiao Wanli said to his granddaughter.
"I've seen it. It's written quite well. You just wrote it, didn't you? It seems to have more spirit than your previous work. No, to be precise, it's on a completely different level. Grandpa, I didn't expect that after not paying attention to you for so long, your calligraphy skills would improve so much," Qiao Xiaoyu praised repeatedly. She had been forced by her grandfather to practice calligraphy since she was young. Although she hadn't become a calligrapher, she understood some things. Thus, she could tell that her grandfather's calligraphy skills had improved significantly.
"Hehe." Qiao Wanli let out a bitter chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
"This Man Jiang Hong wasn't written by Grandpa."
"Not by you? Then who wrote it?"
"It was Zhou Hong."
"Ah." Qiao Xiaoyu was instantly stunned. She had thought her grandfather's skills had improved so much. She never expected it to be Zhou Hong.
"Impossible, how could it be him?" Qiao Xiaoyu shook her head repeatedly, seemingly unable to accept it. She was still angry with Zhou Hong. Moreover, Zhou Hong could play the guqin, knew some folk remedies, and now they were saying he wrote this calligraphy. She truly couldn't accept that one person could be so proficient in so many things.
"I'm not lying to you. He just wrote it. Grandpa brought him to the study intending to let him witness Grandpa's talent in calligraphy and painting. Unexpectedly, after looking at Grandpa's work, he called it mediocre. At first, Grandpa was unconvinced, but now, he wrote an identical Man Jiang Hong in front of me. Grandpa is convinced, hahaha! I never expected that Zhou Hong, who appears so ordinary on the outside, would have such high attainments in calligraphy and painting," Qiao Wanli laughed heartily. He was now completely convinced by Zhou Hong.