"My Yi Ge'er's greatest joy outside of his studies is carving. Not long ago, for his grandmother's birthday, he gifted a carving of the Eight Immortals offering longevity. With so many guests present, everyone assumed the carving was purchased from a master craftsman by Yi Ge'er," Qi Tianming said, his tone filled with pride. "When someone questioned him on the spot, Yi Ge'er's elder sister immediately had a servant fetch a small piece of wood and carving knives. Yi Ge'er, calm and composed before everyone, completed a small carving. Both the knife work, the composition, and the spirit of the carving were identical to the Eight Immortals piece, which finally dispelled everyone's doubts."
"Younger Brother Qi is very capable," Lu Chen praised, following Qi Tianming's lead.
"Moderately so, there's still room for improvement. How about this, I'll bring you to see Yi Ge'er again another time. For now, let's go to the Old Madam's quarters!"
"My grandmother asked me to bring a gift for the Old Madam, so I shall present it."
Qi Zhenzhen never dreamed she would meet Lu Chen, the man rumored to be betrothed to her, so suddenly. She was muttering with the Old Madam about why it was forbidden to casually slaughter draft cattle in Da Feng, making it quite difficult to get beef. The cattle that could be slaughtered were either extremely old or sick. The former tasted poor, and the latter were unfit for consumption due to illness.
"You girl, all day long you only think about food?"
"Grandmother, I read a miscellaneous book that mentioned beef brisket is delicious, and tomatoes make a flavorful soup. If stewed together with beef brisket, wouldn't it taste even better?" Qi Zhenzhen said earnestly.
Qi Tianming and Lu Chen, standing at the doorway, overheard Qi Zhenzhen's murmurs about beef.
"The one inside is my second daughter, usually quite mischievous," Qi Tianming said with a smile. "Let's go in and listen to them talk; it's improper to stand outside."
Qi Zhenzhen quickly sat up straight. If Qi Tianming saw her lounging on the Old Madam without proper decorum, he would likely lecture her again.
"Did you not go to work today?" the Old Madam asked.
"I requested leave from my superior. Now that the Lu family's young master has arrived, I must entertain him!" Qi Tianming said with a smile.
"Junior pays his respects to the Old Madam. May the Old Madam be in good health." Lu Chen cupped his hands and bowed slightly, greeting the Old Madam.
The Old Madam first glanced at Qi Zhenzhen. Seeing that she was composed, she then began to appraise Lu Chen with confidence.
He possessed a noble bearing, his eyes clear and bright, appearing to be a fine young man. It was a pity, however, that such a good person had no destiny with her Zhenzhen girl. She was already aware of the Lu family's ambiguous stance. That betrothal would either be annulled or the person fulfilling it would be changed; in any case, it wouldn't be her Zhenzhen.
"Are you accustomed to the climate in the capital? It is much drier here than where you are from!" the Old Madam inquired.
"I am quite accustomed to it. I often travel for my studies, and I have visited the capital several times," Lu Chen replied. "I lived in Huizhou for a period, and the climate there is similar to that of the capital."
"Still, one must not be careless. Your elders have entrusted you to the Marquis's estate. Should anything untoward happen, it would be difficult for us to explain to the Lu family. Tianming, you must ensure that someone looks after young master Lu and that he is not neglected in any way."
"Mother, please rest assured. I will make all the necessary arrangements. Zijing, this is your second sister, Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen, this is your elder brother from the Lu family." Qi Tianming introduced them to each other.
"Greetings, Elder Brother Lu," Qi Zhenzhen said with a faint smile, appearing poised and dignified.
"Greetings, Second Sister," Lu Chen replied, his gaze steady and his demeanor serious.
After exchanging pleasantries, they each took their seats.
"Old Madam, this is a gift from my grandmother, which she asked me to present to you. These are Buddhist beads blessed by Master Yuanjue, which have the effect of calming the mind. Master Yuanjue stayed with our Lu family for a few days when he was traveling in Jiangdong," Lu Chen said, presenting a sandalwood box.
Granny Fang received it and placed it on the low table beside the Old Madam.
The dark Buddhist beads were exceptionally smooth and emitted a soft glow.
"This is too valuable; this old woman is unworthy to accept it."
"My grandmother said that the Old Madam helped our Lu family in the past and she has never had the chance to repay you. Taking this opportunity of my trip to the capital, she insisted that I deliver this to the Old Madam and convey her gratitude," Lu Chen said.
The Old Madam remained composed. "It is thoughtful of your grandmother to remember past events. I will accept these Buddhist beads. I heard that young master Lu appreciates calligraphy and paintings. Granny Fang, I have some paintings by the great Master Wu from the previous dynasty in my storeroom. Please retrieve them and present them to young master Lu."
From the previous dynasty, surnamed Wu, a master of calligraphy and painting, there was only one such person.
Lu Chen became somewhat agitated, his breathing becoming uneven with excitement. He enjoyed studying calligraphy and paintings, especially those by Master Wu. Whenever he learned that someone possessed a collection, he would go to great lengths to find an opportunity to view it. However, those who truly loved art rarely flaunted their collections. To this day, he had only seen three such pieces.
These three pieces he had already acquired and often took them out to appreciate their artistic conception. He then began to practice copying them, his skill in imitation reaching the point of being indistinguishable from the original.
Granny Fang emerged with a long box. Upon opening it, a slightly yellowed scroll was revealed.
Lu Chen stood up, took several deep breaths, and then stepped forward.
He took out a silk handkerchief from his怀, wrapped his hands, and then solemnly unrolled the scroll.
It was a rare beauty portrait.
According to historical records, although Master Wu was renowned for his landscape paintings, his most skillful work was portraiture.
Taking the beauty portrait before him as an example, the woman in the painting had almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks, her gaze alluring, as if she could step out of the painting at any moment.
"Old Madam, this gift is too valuable; I cannot accept it," Lu Chen said after admiring it, then carefully rolled the painting back up and gently placed it in the box.
The Old Madam said indifferently, "This item is valuable in your eyes, but to this old woman, it is merely a painting. Like my granddaughter, I am not particularly fond of such refined things. In my possession, it would likely never see the light of day, remaining locked away in the storeroom. Giving it to you will at least allow it to fulfill its value. Furthermore, in this old woman's eyes, the value of this painting is far less than the value of these Buddhist beads."
With the Old Madam saying so, Lu Chen could no longer refuse. After expressing his sincere gratitude once more, he carefully embraced the box.
"Young Master Lu must have been tired from your journey these past few days. Tianming, quickly take him to settle in and let him rest properly. There is no need to bring people to the back courtyard anymore; the young ladies are all grown, and besides, several of your cousins are also residing in the estate, which makes it somewhat inconvenient," the Old Madam said.
"Mother is right. I will take Zijing to settle him in now."
After they left, the Old Madam pulled Qi Zhenzhen closer. "You've met the young master from the Lu family. How do you feel about it?"
"Grandmother, didn't you say that like you, I am not interested in calligraphy and paintings?" Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile. "We are destined not to be on the same path."