Xie Zhuzhou was woken by Elder Sheng's "gentle" smile beside him. His eyes were blank and unfocused, and for a moment, he could not work out where he was. But the instant he saw Ji Wangchen, a shudder ran through him, and he snapped awake.
Who am I?
Where am I?
That became: I'm done for. How did I dare fall asleep on an occasion like this?
With a faint air of death hanging over him, Xie Zhuzhou simply threw caution to the wind. Since he had already become someone with no manners, there was no need to be polite to any of them anymore.
"I hear you study sculpture at University A, Little Xie. Your drawing skills must be quite good, then?"
Old fossils liked putting on cultured airs. Ji Wangchen's expression had already darkened. He took Xie Zhuzhou by the arm and was about to lead him away.
Xie Zhuzhou suddenly spoke. "Master Elder An, you're already over seventy. You must have seen all the splendor this world has to offer, haven't you? Surely you've mastered some extraordinary skills by now?"
Ji Wangchen saw his younger brother's eyes shine, like a fierce horse that had finally broken free after being tethered all its life and was about to gallop across the grasslands.
He firmly closed those deep eyes of his, then nodded, signaling that Xie Zhuzhou could do as he pleased. It was not as though the Ji Family could not afford to offend Master Elder An.
Xie Zhuzhou found it amusing to see Master Elder An nearly lose his composure for an instant. He continued, "The An Family started out in the clothing business, if I remember correctly. Surely you know how to cut garments, Elder An?" His second brother had given him plenty of background information, so he knew roughly how these prominent families had made their fortunes and who belonged to them.
Excitement filled Xie Zhuzhou's eyes. With his brother backing him, he borrowed that authority to throw his weight around, looking thoroughly imposing. Even his voice rose a few cheerful notes, a complete contrast to his usual listless, half-dead manner.
The corners of Master Elder An's mouth twitched, as though his own words had come back to threaten him.
Xie Zhuzhou watched Master Elder An's face instantly turn ashen as he gripped his cane, clearly itching to lose his temper.
"I know a little, but do you know how to operate a sewing machine and cut garments, Elder An?"
Old Master Sheng, never one to mind making a spectacle even bigger, immediately had someone fetch paper and brushes. Xie Zhuzhou wore a faint, unsettling smile. "I'm afraid I'll need somewhere a little bigger. Since it happens to be your birthday today, Elder Sheng, I'll give you an ink-wash painting."
So he wanted a calligraphy brush?
You little rascal really were playing the pig to eat the tiger, Elder Sheng thought.
Meanwhile, Elder An caught the key words in Xie Zhuzhou's remarks and became as unshakable as a mountain again. Of course I can't operate a sewing machine, but does Xie Zhuzhou know how to paint with a brush? Does he think a few old men like us are easy to fool? He said he knew a little. Maybe a little is all he knows!
He had known about this Xie Zhuzhou as early as two years ago. This was the person who had kept trailing after his grandson, trying to infect his grandson with homosexuality! Thus, he knew that apart from loving video games and picking up some of young people's bad habits, this brat had no talents whatsoever!
Nothing about the Xie brat pleased him. Master Elder Ling, beside him, only knew that Xie Zhuzhou was a stubborn mule. He simply disliked young people who refused to be disciplined, just like his own grandson.
They believed Elder Sheng had only invited Xie Zhuzhou today to do him an honor. Who knew the fellow would refuse to give Elder Sheng face and sleep in front of everyone for half an hour?
Since Xie Zhuzhou was going to demonstrate his skills, they moved to the large study. It held Old Master Sheng's treasured collection, and the writing desk was grand as well. The brushes and ink were already prepared.
Xie Zhuzhou was an inveterate contrarian at heart, and someone who occasionally repaid even the smallest slight. Faced with Master Elder An's attack, he even marveled at how considerate the man was. Thank goodness he had not brought up some other skill.
Because he might not know how to do anything else.
He wasted no more time and walked up to the desk. His long, fair fingers lightly lifted a brush and dipped it in ink. The tip gently touched the rice paper, and the fragrance of ink spread. Fine strokes traced the outlines, while pale ink washes shaded the distant mountains.
After an unknown amount of time, the world within the painting gradually came to life.
His gaze was focused as he immersed himself in the world of the canvas, the flowing ink bringing out the poetry of the landscape.
Every gaze present settled on the person holding the brush, as though they were seeing a youth in a painting. His brilliance was like a shooting star, and the commanding spirit between his brows captivated them.
Master Elder An was shocked that Xie Zhuzhou had not merely been talking! Hadn't he said he only knew a little? Everyone had been waiting for a good show!
Before their eyes, Xie Zhuzhou's brush tip danced lightly. Water and ink blended, and mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas sprang to life on the paper.
An ordinary ink-wash painting could take as little as a few minutes to create, or as long as an hour or two.
After painting for over twenty minutes, Xie Zhuzhou finally set down his brush and saw the old men staring at him in astonishment.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Old Master Sheng clapped, completely forgetting his position and remembering only that Xie Zhuzhou was a talented young man. "Such delicate brushwork! The landscape is poetry, the figures are dreams, and every stroke holds profound skill!"
Master Elder An was dumbfounded. He was very knowledgeable about traditional Chinese painting and other forms of painting, too. He had loved traditional Chinese painting when he was young, but at the time, most painters in the country had leaned toward studying styles such as oil painting.
Traditional Chinese painting had been exceedingly rare.
Old Master Sheng did not care how frustrated the other two were. At the thought that this painting was a gift for him, his grin nearly stretched to his ears. After praising it, he asked the butler to fetch the first-meeting gift he had prepared for Xie Zhuzhou long ago.
"It's rare to see Grandpa this happy." Ji Wangchen looked at the painting. Though he admired it, he would not go so far as to fight his grandfather for it.
That was what he said, but as a businessman, Ji Wangchen was already planning to fund an exhibition for Xie Zhuzhou. Of course, that would also depend on whether Xie Zhuzhou wanted one.
"Elder An, about that sewing machine..."
"Heh, you little brat. You think knowing how to paint makes you so great?!"
"I never said that."
Everyone outside knew him as a bullying good-for-nothing who had been raised elsewhere without supervision and had long since gone bad. Hadn't this whole performance today been intended to make things difficult for him? This was their first time living, but it was his second. Why should he put up with it?
"Is that how you speak to your elders?" Seeing the brat refuse to let it go, Master Elder An once again used his seniority to pressure him.
"Yes. Since you knew perfectly well I'd offend you, why did you come looking for trouble with me? It's not like I eat your family's rice."
Elder An was seething, but he could hardly say something like, "You flirted with my grandson, then had your way and abandoned him." Looking at Xie Zhuzhou's arrogant expression while Old Master Sheng remained immersed in the joy of receiving a masterpiece, he found no one stepping forward to give him a way out.
"Ah, the village children bully me for being old and weak, and one elbow sends me flying two li," Xie Zhuzhou suddenly sighed.
The subtext was: Sure, I bully old people, but come hit me if you can. Send me flying two li with an elbow and let me see how powerful you are!
Seeing that Elder An was about to give them a live demonstration of coughing up blood, Ji Wangchen chuckled. "All right, it's getting late. Time to go home."
Xie Zhuzhou accepted Elder Sheng's first-meeting gift, a strand of jade Buddhist prayer beads. The design looked very attractive, the sort that could sell for several million.
"You, you!" Elder An's chest heaved with anger.
Old Master Sheng consoled him. "Why did you have to provoke him? You knew perfectly well this child is a little tyrant. It wouldn't even be surprising if he mistreated the elderly."
Indeed, the boy had been sleeping perfectly well, yet they had insisted on picking at him. And now look-hadn't they been slapped in the face?
"Look, you can't operate a sewing machine, and he didn't say anything about it. Besides, why are you picking a fight with a child? You're seventy or eighty, already halfway into the grave. If word gets out, people will say you don't act your age."
Elder An: ...
That wasn't what you said before your birthday!