Chapter 277

Lu Zhenghong nodded, "Hmm, I think this young man is quite good too."

Song Qiaoli said, "So you agree to them dating?"

Lu Zhenghong said, "When did I ever disagree? But, they don't seem to have officially proposed dating yet, right? If we talk about it here, aren't we just being one-sided?"

Song Qiaoli asked, "Should we ask our daughter?"

Lu Zhenghong pondered for a long time and said, "Forget it, let's not interfere in this matter for now. Let's just wait and see."

Song Qiaoli nodded thoughtfully. In fact, she and Lu Zhenghong were very open-minded parents; they wouldn't interfere in such matters regarding their daughter.

Su Xinghui went to the Provincial Committee guesthouse, opened a single room, and rested for the night. The next morning, he got up as usual for his morning run and martial arts practice. After breakfast, he went to Lu Zhenghong's house, arriving exactly at eight o'clock.

Lu Xiaoya was already prepared. Upon seeing Su Xinghui, she said happily to her parents, "Dad, Mom, we're leaving. By the way, we won't be back for lunch."

Song Qiaoli laughed, "Alright, you two go ahead."

After leaving the house, Lu Xiaoya asked, "Xinghui, did you rest well at the guesthouse last night?"

Su Xinghui said, "Quite well. The Provincial Committee guesthouse has good conditions and is quiet."

The two soon arrived at Professor Qin's house. It wasn't even eight-thirty yet, so Professor Qin pulled them over to look at two pieces of calligraphy he had written the night before that he was quite satisfied with.

One of these two pieces was the couplet he had written yesterday—"Cicadas chirp, the forest seems quieter; birds sing, the mountain feels more secluded." The other was two lines from the Tang Dynasty poet Wen Tingyun—"Rooster calls at the thatched inn under the moon; human footprints on the frost-covered wooden bridge."

Both pieces were poems with beautiful, highly evocative imagery. Professor Qin had indeed written them very well, capturing the beauty of the poetic mood perfectly. The two praised them endlessly.

Professor Qin was also quite satisfied with these two pieces. He brought them along with the two pieces Su Xinghui had written yesterday, and then left with Su Xinghui and Lu Xiaoya.

Before leaving, Professor Qin's wife said to Su Xinghui, "Xinghui, you must come for lunch. I'll have the lettuce ready for you to stir-fry."

Su Xinghui laughed, "Alright, Professor's wife, don't worry, I'll definitely come at noon."

The place where Professor Qin was attending the gathering was a classroom at the Jiangcheng Academy of Fine Arts. One of his friends attending today was a professor there. Since all universities were on winter break, the classroom was empty, making it a perfect venue for their gathering.

The Jiangcheng Academy of Fine Arts was also in the Jiangnan District, but it was over ten kilometers away from Jiangcheng University, about six or seven bus stops. After leaving, Su Xinghui hailed a taxi. In this era, there weren't many cars on the streets of Jiangcheng, and traffic jams were unheard of, so they arrived at the Academy of Fine Arts in just over ten minutes.

Entering the Academy of Fine Arts, Professor Qin led them to a classroom. It wasn't nine o'clock yet, but a few people had already arrived. When they saw Professor Qin, they came up to greet him with smiles, "Professor Qin, what masterpieces did you bring today?"

Professor Qin laughed, "They can't be called masterpieces. You know my level, right? Just an amateur's level. But the student I brought today has a level that is anything but ordinary."

Those people said, "Is that so? Then hurry up and introduce him to us."

Professor Qin introduced both sides. Among these people, one was the professor from the Academy of Fine Arts, Chen Hanxiu; one was from the Provincial Painting Academy, Long Kangrong; and one was from the Calligraphers Association, Qu Ziqing. They were all elderly men of similar age to Professor Qin.

Professor Qin then introduced Su Xinghui and Lu Xiaoya to them. When he introduced Lu Xiaoya, Qu Ziqing said, "Lu Xiaoya? Is your father Lu Zhenghong?"

Lu Xiaoya nodded, "That's right, my dad is Lu Zhenghong. How did you know?"

Qu Ziqing laughed, "Does your family have a piece of calligraphy that says 'Indifference to fame and wealth to clarify one's ambition, tranquility to reach far'?"

Lu Xiaoya's eyes lit up, "That's right, that piece was written by you! It's been hanging in our living room. Then I should call you Uncle Qu!"

Su Xinghui laughed, "Hello, Teacher Qu. I've seen that piece of yours several times. Your calligraphy is excellent and has benefited me greatly!"

Professor Qin laughed, "So you two are already old acquaintances!"

Su Xinghui said, "I've admired Teacher Qu for a long time, but I didn't expect to meet you at this gathering of yours today."

Professor Qin said, "Come to think of it, Ziqing has taught me quite a lot too!"

Qu Ziqing said, "Don't flatter me. At most, we just encourage each other. By the way, didn't you say this young Su's calligraphy is quite good? Hurry up and take it out for us to see."

Professor Qin took out the poem "After the New Rain in the Empty Mountain" that Su Xinghui had written and spread it out on a table for everyone to admire.

After one look, Qu Ziqing said in surprise, "Did young Su really write this?"

Professor Qin said proudly, "How about it? Isn't it well written? Could there be any mistake? I watched him write it with my own eyes yesterday afternoon."

Qu Ziqing said, "If you hadn't told me he wrote it, I would have assumed it was written by an old calligrapher, at least forty or fifty years old. This calligraphy has at least thirty years of practice behind it. Even if he started practicing from childhood, it's impossible for him to have practiced for thirty years!"

Chen Hanxiu and Long Kangrong also clicked their tongues in wonder at the calligraphy. Although they were painters, China emphasizes that calligraphy and painting share the same origin, so their own calligraphy was excellent, and their appreciation of calligraphy was certainly beyond doubt.

Lu Xiaoya said, "Uncle Qu, isn't it possible that Xinghui is a calligraphy genius?"

Qu Ziqing laughed, "Xiaoya, this isn't a question of genius or not. Even if he were a calligraphy genius, while the calligraphy might be good, it's impossible for it to have such charm. What's contained within is a life's realization, which at the very least, only a middle-aged person could have."

Chen Hanxiu nodded, "That's right. This poem, 'Autumn Evening in the Mountain Residence,' is a timeless masterpiece by the poet Wang Wei. Through describing the scenery, the poet expresses his disgust for the corruption of the officialdom and his determination to retire to the woods and springs. The calligraphy written by young Su has exactly that kind of charm. If I hadn't seen him in person, I would have thought this was the work of a leading cadre about to retire to the second line."

Lu Xiaoya said, "Is it that mysterious? Why can't I see it?"

Long Kangrong said, "In China, poetry is used to express ambition, and calligraphy and painting can also express ambition. In fact, all art forms are interconnected. Otherwise, how could the story of 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' finding a soulmate exist? Little girl, when you get older and see more things, you'll naturally be able to see it."

Su Xinghui laughed, "You all think too highly of me. I did start practicing calligraphy when I was a few years old, and I am currently rolling in the officialdom. The mood in this calligraphy might be because I work in the countryside and have seen more of the hardships of the common people. This is also a kind of life experience."

Professor Qin laughed, "That's right. That time he came to my house, I happened to see a few characters he wrote, and I discovered his calligraphy was much better than before, and it had much more of the flavor of life. I was also surprised. Perhaps this can only be explained by a sudden enlightenment."

Qu Ziqing's eyes lit up, "Right, this must be a sudden enlightenment!"