100 The Birth of the Two Famous Pieces of Calligraphy (1/2)

Chapter 100: The Birth of the Two Famous Pieces of Calligraphy

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

Ning Que pushed open the red-painted door and lifted the bead curtains to enter the dimly lit and quiet room. He had consumed two large bowls of sobering soup and took a refreshing warm bath. He had also lied on the bamboo bed that someone had once died on, receiving a strong treatment from a master masseur. Most of his drunkenness had already been teased out and he felt much more clear-headed now.

Looking at the woman who hid her perfect figure wrapped in unremarkable clothing, her wide and smooth forehead as well as the lines on the corner of her eyes, he felt he would rather be drunk at this moment. He could guess what he would be experiencing next. Though he thought this woman was being unreasonably strict with him, he must admit there was concern in her stern ways. Thus, he couldn't refuse and only painfully suffer it.

”Since I haven't seen you around in awhile, I thought you've finally entered the Academy and learned to behave yourself. I thought you'd finally understand the importance of seeking knowledge. Who knew your learning didn't increase by much yet you've made large strides in the art of drinking.”

Mistress Jian looked at him calmly, wearing no hint of bitter hatred. Yet it was her neutral tone that stressed him greatly. He hemmed and hawed, but no words came to him. He forced himself to be composed to ease his awkwardness yet he suddenly hiccuped. The smell was unpleasant.

She scowled at the sour smell that filled the room and glared at him. In a flash, she wore a self-mocking smile as she found herself her anger was completely unreasonable. How could she keep allowing this lad in front of her suffer for the sins of that man? She kept her voice as calm as possible and said, ”Tell me what you've learned in the Academy lately.”

Ning Que accepted a cup of strong tea from Xiaocao and took several large sips to calm himself. He earnestly expressed his thanks and cleared his throat before conscientiously explaining his life in the Academy.

”It sounds like you've been diligent. Since you don't have a foundation in calligraphy and rites, you need to put more effort into them instead of giving them up. You need to know that you'll need to live on these skills after you leave the Academy, whether you'll be an official or just a shepherd.”

Mistress Jian smiled in relief and her crow's feet deepened when she heard how Ning Que visited the old library every day. ”Since you enter the library each day, you must be aware of the mystery of the Second Floor.”

”Yes,” he answered politely.

She pondered over this for a moment before asking seriously, ”When do you think you can enter the Second Floor?”

He raised his sleeve and covered his mouth, forcibly suppressing the urge to hiccup or even vomit. ”Only those who are cultivation geniuses can enter that place, while my physical condition isn't fit for cultivation at all. I dare not to even covet entering the Second Floor.”

”Can you be more ambitious, kid? It wasn't easy to be accepted into such a good institution so you must seize your opportunity. What's there to covet or not to covet…”

She frowned at him, wearing an expression as if she wanted to sigh about his lack of ambition. Back then, she saw with her own eyes how that man had ostentatiously made his way to the Second Floor on his donkey. Her mind had vaguely associated Ning Que with that man and she couldn't help wanting to remedy her past regret. She continued to persuade him, saying, ”The Academy is a place to create miracles. But if you yourself think that it's impossible, who else can help you?”

Ning Que didn't know about the man who traveled Chang'an on his little black donkey, eventually carving out a name for himself. Yet that man had disappeared just as suddenly like a duckweed in a rainstorm. Ning Que naturally didn't understand why Mistress Jian would show so much concern for a poor brat like him. He knew there was a reason for it but decided not to care about it. In the end, he was still grateful for the ardent teachings of this kind woman.

That was precisely what he lacked in his life. What he had experienced at the backseat of a bicycle in his previous life was perhaps another form of concern, but he didn't like it. In this life, he had also once enjoyed such devotion but all was devoured by bloody affairs when he was four. He was truly thankful to her, or perhaps even moved, and that made him answer her questions prudently. This inevitably slowed down his speed, which was something that irritated Mistress Jian.

”We're neither family nor friends. If not for my impulse, I wouldn't have bothered to tell you these. So don't you have any conflicting emotions. I'm not trying to harm you by telling you to cherish your chance to study in the Academy.”

She looked at him and continued rather seriously, ”I've told you that rich scions like Zhu Youxian can have fun here but a poor kid like you don't have the right to. It's the same for today too. The noble girls like Ms. Situ and the Jin sisters can play here, but not you. The only reason why they're trying to get close to you is that they think you're fun. They're curious about you. Their interest isn't malicious but it's, after all, not true respect.”