Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 513 The Highest Skill

The meeting was originally scheduled for half an hour, but by the time Chen Fan said goodbye, more than two hours had passed.

Before leaving, Ba Jin led them to his study, picked up a brush and wrote a piece of calligraphy. After finishing, he stamped it with his personal seal and smiled at Chen Fan, saying, "Struggle is life, and life is only about moving forward. I'm giving you this saying, hoping you can continue your efforts and write even better works."

Holding the paper, Chen Fan grinned from ear to ear, "I will definitely remember your teachings, continue to work hard, and never stop striving."

Just kidding, the next decade is going to be the golden decade for literary creation, you can't stop me from writing!
Ba Jin smiled and asked him, "Have you ever studied calligraphy?"

Chen Fan blinked. "I know a little."

Without being modest, among the long list of skills on the skill board, the highest level skill is neither the earliest skill (the first housework skill is still at LV3 due to neglect and has been automatically ignored), nor the literature skill of submitting a dozen articles a month, nor the martial arts skill that I practice diligently every day.

It was "calligraphy" that came later and surpassed it!
I learned calligraphy from Master Lu, and later I could write more than 10,000 characters a day. How many experience points could I earn?!
At this point, calligraphy was the only LV6 skill on his skill board. When Master Ba asked him if he could write large characters, it was exactly what he wanted to know.

Jiang Tiantian carefully took the calligraphy copybook from Chen Fan with both hands, took two steps back and stood aside, looking at Chen Fan with curiosity in her eyes.

She had heard from her younger sister that Chen Fan's handwriting was very beautiful, even better than the large-character calligraphy posters in bookstores.

However, she was somewhat skeptical. She believed that Chen Fan's handwriting was beautiful, but she didn't quite believe that it was better than the handwriting of calligraphers in large calligraphy models.

She even suspected that her sister's eyes had turned into Chen Fan's shape, since she could say such outrageous things.

Now the moment has finally come to witness the truth.

So, how good is Chen Fan's calligraphy?

Lay out a piece of ordinary white paper, Chen Fan casually picked up a brush, dipped it in ink on the inkstone, flicked it a few times to let the excess ink overflow, and then began to write without thinking.

As soon as the first word appeared, Ba Jin's eyes lit up, and he stared at the paper without blinking.

Jiang Tiantian was even more astonished, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

Chen Fan wields his brush with divine skill, completing a line of characters in a single stroke.

"Live in your works, strive in your works."

This is a sentence from the preface that Ba Jin wrote for his collection of short stories in Wenhui Daily in 91. I don't believe he didn't agree with it!

Sure enough, Ba Jin couldn't help but step forward, bow slightly, and gaze at the words on the table, unwilling to blink.

After a long while, he straightened up and exhaled heavily, "Beautiful calligraphy, beautiful calligraphy!"

Well, he didn't even read what was written.

As he spoke, he turned to look at Chen Fan, his eyes filled with amazement. "Your calligraphy has reached a high level. I am not as good as you. Perhaps only a few masters such as Ouyang Zhongshi and Qi Gong can be compared to you, or even dare to say that they are better than you. How did you practice your calligraphy?"

Chen Fan coughed lightly and began to make up a story again, "Before, we didn't have the means, so we learned to use a feather brush with our teacher. Over time, we became proficient in using all kinds of brushes. With years of practice, we achieved some success."

Jiang Tiantian gave him a meaningful look. Years? Shouldn't it be months?
My sister already told me!
However, she definitely won't expose Chen Fan.

Ba Jin took a deep breath and asked with a serious expression, "Besides regular script, what about other scripts?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Pretty much, pretty much the same."

Ba Jin carefully moved the paper on the table aside and pulled over another piece of paper to spread on it. "Come on, let's see you write some cursive script."

Chen Fan picked up his pen again and wrote another sentence: "Ideals do not abandon those who pursue them diligently."

After he finished writing, Ba Jin quickly went over to dry the paper, moved it to the other side, and laid out another sheet, saying, "Write a piece in running script."

Chen Fan blinked, glanced at Ba Jin, and finally picked up his pen to write.

The big shot asking you to write calligraphy is a sign of respect; he certainly wouldn't be trying to trick you into giving him calligraphy practice books.

After finishing the running script, unsurprisingly, he wrote a seal script and a clerical script.

With five different fonts in hand, each containing a different content, Mr. Ba nodded in satisfaction... his mouth was agape, he must have been laughing out loud, but he didn't utter a sound.

After laughing for a while, Ba Jin finally realized, "Hey, why is there no signature or seal?"

After saying that, he spread the words out on the table again and took out his treasured inkpad from the drawer. "Come on, let's fix it."

As usual, Chen Fan obediently followed instructions, signing off on each piece of writing. He then took out a small seal from his pocket—the one carved by himself from the Tianhuang stone that Master Lu had given him. He pressed it onto the inkpad and stamped the seal on the remaining pieces of writing.

Finally, everything is complete.

Ba Jin laid the five pages of calligraphy flat on the table, took a few steps back, and clenched his hands tightly. At that moment, there was nothing else in his eyes...and no one else.

Jiang Tiantian held Ba Jin's handwritten book in her hands, staring blankly at Chen Fan, her eyes vacant of everything else.

Chen Fan slowly put the seal away, and seeing her gaze, he shrugged innocently.

There's no way to hide calligraphy skills; you can't just deliberately write badly, or you'll easily be exposed.

After a long while, Ba Jin finally came to his senses. He first looked at the words on the paper and nodded to himself. After a two-second pause, he turned to look at Chen Fan and said, "There is no Calligraphers Association in Jiangnan Province, so you must not be a member. But it doesn't matter. Shanghai has one. It was established in 61. Many members of the Writers Association are also members of the Calligraphers Association. I will arrange for you to join tomorrow."

Although the Calligraphers Association is not as prestigious as the Writers Association, it is still a member of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Moreover, once the Federation of Literary and Art Circles is re-established, a national Calligraphers Association will definitely be established. With your calligraphy skills, you will definitely have no problem getting in.

Your calligraphy has great artistic value. Joining the Calligraphers Association will benefit you and the development of calligraphy art nationwide.

He rattled off a string of words without giving Chen Fan a chance to think.

Chen Fan smiled slightly, not refusing, but wondering in his heart what benefits the calligraphy association offered, otherwise there would be no point in joining.

Having only one title doesn't mean you can monetize it!

Of course, Ba Jin was unaware of his ulterior motives. Seeing that he did not raise any objections, the matter was settled.

After pausing for two seconds, he thought for a moment and asked, "Your calligraphy skills are so profound, do you have any special secrets?"

Chen Fan hesitated for a moment before saying, “Calligraphy has been passed down for thousands of years. From seal carving in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods to the flying white style in the Three Kingdoms period, and then to the pinnacle of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, so many sages have already revealed the secrets of calligraphy. When I practiced calligraphy, I didn’t have any other particularly good experience. I just wrote more, practiced more, and copied more. After writing for a long time, I naturally got a little better.”

Ba Jin glared at him, annoyed. "This is not just slightly better. I've practiced for decades, and my handwriting is still far inferior to yours."

Chen Fan chuckled dryly, "No, no, I wouldn't dare."

Ba Jin waved his hand, ignoring his feigned modesty, and said with emotion, "You're right. The secrets of calligraphy have already been revealed by the sages of a thousand years ago. There really are no more tricks to be discovered."

He shook his head and then went to admire the five calligraphy pieces on the table.

Chen Fan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Ba, although there are no secrets to calligraphy with a brush, I have studied a little bit of calligraphy with a pen."

Ba Jin suddenly turned around, his eyes full of curiosity. "Pen calligraphy?" He didn't even care about appreciating calligraphy anymore. He pulled Chen Fan towards the desk. "This is the first time I've ever heard of pen calligraphy. Write a few words for me to see."

Jiang Tiantian also curiously went over to join in.

Chen Fan sat down helplessly in the chair, took the pen that Ba Lao handed him, and wrote a sentence on a stack of white paper.

"A Brief Discussion on Pen Calligraphy".

Just a few words were enough to make Ba Lao and Jiang Tiantian's eyes light up.

Only then did Jiang Tiantian suddenly understand what her sister meant. So that's exactly how good Xiao Fan's handwriting was!
After writing the title, Chen Fan saw that Ba Jin was still watching eagerly, so he had no choice but to continue writing.

When people talk about calligraphy, they all think it refers to a brush. However, with the changing times and the need to discard the old and embrace the new, most people today write with a fountain pen. I believe that since it is a pen, the words written on paper can also be called calligraphy.

This paper studies the methods of pen writing, summarizes the findings over many years, and briefly discusses the key points and writing techniques of hard-pen calligraphy. Like traditional calligraphy, hard-pen calligraphy requires consideration of three elements: penmanship, structure, and composition.

Its key points include 'the head point is high and upright,' 'the vertical points are aligned,' and 'the center point is straight and aligned'...

The key to Level 6 calligraphy skills is not just writing well, but also writing quickly.

Chen Fan used a large sheet of calligraphy paper as draft paper, and his typing speed was comparable to that of a typewriter. He wrote hundreds of words per minute and a thousand words per ten minutes. In less than an hour, he had completely written out his "A Brief Discussion on Hard-Pen Calligraphy".

Ink was added once during the process.

Before he could even put away his pen after he finished writing, Mr. Ba had already eagerly taken the paper away.

He glanced at the contents briefly before carefully studying the handwriting on the paper.

To more intuitively demonstrate the characteristics of pen calligraphy, Chen Fan wrote the entire article of several thousand words in five different fonts, and every line and every character was written neatly and without any need for modification from beginning to end.

A few minutes later, Ba Jin raised his head, slowly exhaled a long breath, and looked at him, asking, "Did you figure this out yourself?"

Chen Fan smiled and casually put the pen into his pocket, which made Ba Jin's eyes twitch.

But he plotted against Chen Fan's calligraphy work first; it was just a Parker gold pen he obtained on the battlefield in Korea... It's so heartbreaking.

This was a souvenir given to Zhao Gongchen, the real-life inspiration for Wang Cheng, by the leaders of his unit. And it's just gone like that? How did I end up drawing this pen?!
Then Chen Fan said, "If you haven't heard of this penmanship anywhere else, then I'm probably the only one studying it."

Mr. Ba nodded, then coughed lightly, "Keep that pen safe, don't lose it."

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback, and immediately realized that this pen was no ordinary pen. He quickly took it out to return it, but saw Old Ba wave his hand, "It's yours. This pen is a war trophy from the northern battlefield back then. It's a good use of it in your hands. Keep it safe."

Hearing this, Chen Fan could only laugh awkwardly and put the bag back in his pocket.

Jiang Tiantian watched from the side, unable to suppress her laughter as she lowered her head.

Sure enough, he's never going to lose out anywhere; he even dares to take advantage of Buffett.

Of course, Chen Fan was still very sensible. If he hadn't seen that Ba Jin had a very good impression of him and hadn't deliberately arranged a few pieces of calligraphy, he would have definitely behaved properly and never overstepped the bounds.

After Chen Fan put away his pen, Ba Jin said to him, "Your article has great publishing value, but it's not suitable for any magazine. If you publish it in a newspaper, the word count is a bit too high."

After pausing for two seconds, he thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll find a publishing house for you and you can publish a book on your own?"

Chen Fan blinked, not immediately agreeing, but feigning hesitation as he said, "But what about Chairman He?"

The Jiangnan Literature and Art magazine also has its own publishing unit. If I don't leave my first book to "my own people", I'm afraid Chairman He will cause me trouble.

If it weren't for his blinking eyes, Ba Jin would have really thought that He Qingsheng was petty and dared to suppress young writers at will.

He immediately said irritably, "I found a publisher for you to publish your book, and you're still not happy. Tell me, what conditions do you want?"

He paused for a moment, then quickly added, "Don't even mention royalties. There are strict rules, a hard and fast rule. I can only give you 7 yuan per thousand words at most, there's no other way."

He then coughed lightly, "Well, at most I can try to get you some other benefits."

Chen Fan blinked. "What kind of benefits?"

Ba Jin looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle, "You young man, you've earned quite a bit of money from your writing, how come you've become so obsessed with money?"

He didn't usually like talking about money, but seeing the little guy's somewhat greedy attitude, he wasn't disgusted at all; in fact, he found it rather amusing.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Don't worry about the money. If you want to buy something, I can help you find the necessary tickets."

Chen Fan clapped his hands. "If you could help me buy a small Jeep, that would be the best."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Ba ​​nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. "A little Jeep? What are you dreaming of?!"

She looked up at him with a half-smile, "A small Jeep costs 4 yuan, do you have that much money?"

Chen Fan chuckled awkwardly, "Actually, I can get a car myself, it won't cost much, it's just that I don't have a company to affiliate with, if..."

Old Ba's smile faded slightly, and he looked at him in surprise, "I didn't expect you to have this skill."

He thought for a moment and said, "As long as you can get a car, I can help you register it under the Writers' Association. All the paperwork can be taken care of, and it will be for your personal use."

Chen Fan was also surprised this time. He had only asked for an exorbitant price, but he didn't expect that Old Master Ba would actually agree.

At this point, Mr. Ba said again, "If you can't get it, I won't treat you unfairly. The publishing house also has a Changjiang 750 motorcycle that has been used for more than ten years. With a sidecar added, it can be used as a small car. You can take the motorcycle when you go to the Writers' Association meeting tomorrow."

As he spoke, he waved the paper in his hand that contained the full text of "A Brief Discussion on Hard-Pen Calligraphy," and looked at him with a half-smile, "However, the publishing rights and publishing unit of this book must belong exclusively to our Writers Association. You can no longer publish it with the Jiangnan Writers Association."

Chen Fan nodded without thinking, "Okay."

Even if he had nothing, let alone a motorcycle, he wouldn't sell the same book twice. Even though such things are not uncommon these days.

Since he brought this out, he meant he intended to ask Mr. Ba to help with its publication.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't receive royalties at this point, because he has a series of calligraphy works waiting to be published. Later, when he can affiliate with his own publishing house, with Ba Jin's connections, how much money can't he earn back?!
On the contrary, this motorcycle was a pleasant surprise, and there was also a promise of a car license plate under their name. ...Do other authors receive the same treatment when they publish books and receive the same royalties?!

Isn't this a huge windfall?!

Seeing Chen Fan grinning like a fool, Ba Lao secretly chuckled to himself.

He had a premonition that this unprecedented penmanship, once published, would definitely spark a nationwide craze for practicing penmanship.

My company is guaranteed to make a profit from this!

As for offering Chen Fan such generous terms, it was merely a convenient way to win him over.

After all, such an outstanding young man belongs to someone else; if they don't give him more, how will they get him in the future?!
(End of this chapter)