Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 187 Come again?

After returning to his residence, Gao Jingming was still concentrating on perfecting his longevity painting in the study. Chen Xuan did not disturb him, but just quietly replaced Xiaoye who was helping to grind the ink beside him.

It has to be said that Chen Xuan admired Gao Jingming's concentration when doing things. He didn't even notice his arrival.

Of course, this only happens when the person is acquaintance. If it were a stranger, he would definitely notice it at the first moment. Xiao Gao's vigilance is not that bad.

He worked until the afternoon, and with the two days prior, Gao Jingming had already finished most of his longevity painting. It wasn't until Xiao Cai came up to tell him to eat that Gao Jingming stretched himself, looked at Chen Xuan, and asked in silence, "When did Ah Xuan come back?"

"It's been a while. Young master was concentrating, so I didn't disturb him," Chen Xuan said with a smile as he helped him press the unfinished painting with a paperweight.

Nodding, Gao Jingming suddenly looked at Chen Xuan and said, "Xuan, why do I feel that you are a little different after going out? I can't put my finger on it, just like last time..."

The last time was when Chen Xuan broke through to his innate state. This time, Chen Xuan's mentality was different because he had found the thousandth word "longevity". As the saying goes, appearance is determined by the mind. Gao Jingming, who grew up with Chen Xuan, naturally noticed it.

"Really? Maybe it's because you encountered something interesting when you went out," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Gao Jingming walked in front and went downstairs to eat. He asked curiously, "What's the fun thing? Tell me about it and I'll have a good laugh. I've been so busy these past two days that I'm really worried. I thought you had made some breakthroughs in martial arts."

That is even more difficult than a martial arts breakthrough. Cultivation can be improved bit by bit, but a spiritual breakthrough is something that can only be encountered by chance. Chen Xuan said, "Just now when I went to withdraw money, I encountered..."

The two of them came to the dining table while chatting. Xiao Cai and the others served the dishes and added rice. Because Xiao Gao was here, Geng Hong and the others could not eat at the same table. Except for Chen Xuan, even Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye did not sit at the table.

It’s not that the Gao family’s rules are so rigid and strict, but Xiao Cai and the others abide by their duties to avoid being seen by outsiders and misunderstood that the Gao family has no rules.

After hearing about Chen Xuan's experience, Gao Jingming was overjoyed and said, "Xuan actually encountered such an interesting thing. Those dirty guys deserved it. They could have provoked anyone else, but you. Do they really think you are easy to bully? Your martial arts... hehe..."

At the end, Gao Jingming paused, knowingly, and then put away his smile and said seriously, "Ah Xuan, you too, although your cultivation is not bad, they are outnumbered. You should also pay attention to your own safety. What if you get hurt? As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. You should report it directly to the police or return to the bank."

After all, they grew up together, and he really cares about Chen Xuan. This has nothing to do with his personal cultivation.

"Young Master is right. I'll be careful next time something like this happens," Chen Xuan replied, changing the subject. "Young Master, my family gave me 1,500 taels this time. What do you think of the arrangements?"

"How else can I arrange it? Xuan, don't ask me. Just keep it for me. I'll look for you when I need it. By the way, if you want to buy something, just use it directly. Just tell me afterwards. There's no need for us to be so formal," Gao Jingming said indifferently.

Good man, if you say so, if I have bad intentions, won’t it be easy for me to get your Gao family’s property in the future?

Of course, Gao Jingming was just expressing that there was no need to be so formal in the relationship between the two parties. He was not really stupid.

But Chen Xuan still reminded him: "Young Master, be more careful. You are becoming more and more unruly. If the teacher hears you say this, he will definitely scold you."

"I'm just telling you, Xuan, you're really boring," Gao Jingming said speechlessly.

Chen Xuan said seriously: "It is my duty to supervise and correct the young master's words and deeds."

"I know, I know. I must be more careful with what I say and do in the future, okay? Let's eat. Hey, Xuan, why are you more nagging than the master?" Gao Jingming complained with a helpless smile.

After dinner, while drinking tea on the second-floor terrace to digest the food, Chen Xuan said, "Master, things are getting back on track here. We don't need so many people anymore, so one or two of Uncle Geng's men will have to go back. Who do you think is suitable to stay?"

"A Xuan, you can arrange it, I don't care," Gao Jingming was too lazy to think about it.

Well, I really have become your housekeeper. You throw everything to me. Although it is normal, I am only eleven years old.

After resting for a while, the two continued to work in the study. Late at night, Chen Xuan specifically found Geng Hong and others, and discussed with them. He asked Geng Hong and Zhao Erhe to stay, and the other two returned to Gao's house.

Naturally, they had no objection to this and followed the arrangements.

It was only a matter of time, but Jiang Kai and the others who were about to go back were actually grateful for the fact that it had been delayed for so long. It was like giving them such a long vacation. After all, they had nothing to do here recently.

However, when the time came, they were still reluctant to part. They had been through so many ups and downs together for so long, and it would take several years before they could see each other again.

There's no rush for Jiang Kai and the others to return. It's thousands of miles away, so we have to wait and see...

Two days later, Gao Jingming, who worked hard from dawn to dusk, finally finished his painting of pine and crane symbolizing longevity.

When the last stroke was made, he collapsed in his chair and didn't want to move, but he was very excited. He felt the kind of joy of completing an important mission or breaking through himself. Even his whole spirit was different. Chen Xuan could feel a sense of calmness and restraint in his brows.

The painting of pine and crane for longevity is not only a task for Gao Jingming, but also an indescribable and precious growth experience.

If he stood in front of Mr. Yushan or Mrs. Gao at this moment, they would definitely look at him differently.

"Ah Xuan, what do you think of this painting?" Gao Jingming asked, pointing to the picture on the table. The ink had already dried, and at first glance, it was just an ordinary painting. Even the painting and layout were not particularly outstanding. At best, it was just average. To put it bluntly, with this level of quality, he couldn't even support himself by selling paintings on the street.

However, only a closer look reveals the brilliance of this painting, because every stroke, every blade of grass, and every tree is composed of different longevity characters. The size, writing method, thickness, color... of the longevity characters are "ever-changing" and ingeniously composed to form this painting.

In this way, the height of this picture is suddenly raised to an unknown level. It is not only the application of skills, but also the accumulation and precipitation of countless people as well as the painstaking efforts contained in it.

After carefully observing the finished picture, Chen Xuan gave a two-word evaluation from the bottom of his heart: "Excellent!"

"Haha, that's good, that's good. This painting really deserves your evaluation of 'wonderful', A Xuan," Gao Jingming applauded.

He didn't actually expect what kind of feedback he would get after submitting the painting, nor did he care whether it would eventually stand out and be placed on Emperor Shang Xuan's desk. This surprised Chen Xuan a little.

But judging from his expression, after experiencing this period, he probably no longer cares about gains and losses. Instead, he has already obtained what he wanted, which is more precious than the glory that can be obtained by that painting.

This kid has grown a lot.

Gao Jingming then stood up, picked up the painting, looked at it in the sunlight outside the window, and smiled at Chen Xuan, saying, "The real beauty of this painting is this way."

"Indeed," Chen Xuan nodded in agreement, and then said, "Master, leave it to me to frame it. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate to hand it over like this."

Chen Xuan and his friends had naturally learned how to mount calligraphy and paintings. It was a basic skill and not difficult.

Gao Jingming shook his head and said, "No, I'll do it myself. After all, I completed it from beginning to end, so I have to see it through to the end."

"That's fine," Chen Xuan didn't insist and just let him go...

The next day was a good day for traveling, so Chen Xuan and the others had to return to the academy and packed up and set off early in the morning.

Arriving at the city gate, Jiang Kai and his companions said goodbye to each other and took a car south to return to Gao's house. Chen Xuan gave each of them 100 taels of silver as travel expenses, which was enough for them to travel light. The extra money was considered as their bonus for the period of "business trip".

At the same time, they also brought a stack of letters from Gao Jingming, some to his family, some to his master, and some to his classmates and friends. Even Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye were asked to take messages back.

There is no farewell along the way, only a take care before parting.

Two of the four guards who came with us have gone back, leaving only Geng Hong and Zhao Erhe.

Chen Xuan and Xiao Cai were going to the academy with Gao Jingming. As for Geng Hong and Zhao Erhe, Chen Xuan arranged for them to take turns. This time Zhao Erhe would accompany them to the academy, while Geng Hong would stay behind to look after the house. At the same time, he told Geng Hong that if Xiao Miao came to ask for advice on the Qi-calming and health-preserving exercises, he should help give some pointers.

After separating, Chen Xuan and the others returned to the academy smoothly.

It was not a class day yet, but the atmosphere in the academy was quite heated, and everyone was discussing the matter of presenting gifts to the emperor.

Among them, the most popular ones are Ning Guiliang and Wei Ziyan. They are both recognized as great talents. People are looking forward to what kind of works they can produce, and some people even opened auctions privately for this.

The bet was not about whether they could stand out in the academy, which was almost a foregone conclusion given their fame. The bet was about whose work would ultimately be appreciated by His Majesty, which was an enviable honor.

When passing by the gate of the academy, Chen Xuan saw Mr. Wang Xichen again. He was watching the students coming in and out. Chen Xuan always felt that the old gentleman seemed much more haggard.

Maybe old people have their own worries, right?

Back at House 133, Gao Jingming said in a relaxed tone, "Next, you can study hard and join a club to find people with similar interests. Ah Xuan, I plan to join the farmers' club and discuss people's livelihood with others. What do you think?"

Even though they were already at the academy, he didn't mention the gift at all. You should know that everyone in the academy was paying attention to this matter. It seemed like he was on a different level from everyone else.

Chen Xuan was a little worried that he had become old at such a young age. Did completing a painting require such a large growth? Young people should be more interested in romance, right?

Hearing this, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "As long as the young master is happy..."

Before he could finish his words, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from outside, saying, "Is Brother Jingming here?"

Hearing this voice, Gao Jingming frowned and said, "What is Zhang Ao doing here? Ah Xuan, I don't want to see him. Please send him away for me."

"Okay," Chen Xuan nodded and went out, thinking to himself that the boy suddenly came here, could he be up to something weird again?

……

(End of this chapter)