Chapter 726: A Gift for Elder Cao (Part 2)

Uncle Sakai painted a picture of tranquility.

Gu Weijing’s painting was a picture of embracing challenges, a painting of rebirth after letting go of fear and self-pity, a coming-of-age painting.

He intended to use his brush to paint his dignity for Tang Ning.

Scribble note—”To the predecessor?”

Seems a bit soft, Tang Ning didn’t speak to him so kindly.

Or write—”Painted for you to see?”

A bit vulgar, and considering Gu Weijing’s limited classical Chinese skills, writing in colloquial language like a scolded street vendor, who knows what Tang Ning would feel upon seeing it.

Even Gu Weijing felt it disgraced such a great piece of work.

Hmm…

He fell into a long contemplation. Attending an international school with a European, English-speaking focus gave him weak classical Chinese skills, and he couldn’t immediately recall an idiom that perfectly expressed his feelings – meaningful, expressive, and elegant.

Gu Weijing bit onto his pen.

The painting was finished, yet coming up with the wording stumped him.

He pondered whether to visit the elderly Old Wu next door the next morning.

This elder gentleman practiced calligraphy and often inscribed such things for people; the master of one trade, he should understand.

Oh?

Suddenly, Gu Weijing knocked his head.

He sharply realized he was way off.

In “The Godfather,” the old godfather mentioned, a person who can naturally perceive the essence of something instantly and a person who can’t see it throughout life leads different destinies.

Gu Weijing calmed his mind and realized he misunderstood the essence of this matter.

Tang Ning was showing off to him because the female painter disliked him? No, that would be overestimating him, Gu Weijing.

It was due to Elder Cao showing fondness towards him.

The root of the matter is always merely Mr. Cao Xuan’s attitude.

Anything else related to Gu Weijing was completely unimportant.

Therefore, being told he couldn’t capture her spirit, what he should do isn’t to paint a great piece in retaliation.

Advocating some provocative words on the scroll and handing it to Tang Ning, perhaps she wouldn’t care at all.

Who he should dedicate it to… is Mr. Cao Xuan.

Once he realized this, Gu Weijing knew precisely what to do and how to write now.

He looked up, glanced at the “Hundred Flowers Painting,” which had innovative elements, different from usual Chinese Painting forms; aside from a tiny signed “Ning,” there were no other inscriptions.

Tang Ning neatly inscribed the four characters “jade flowers” in the blank space on the right side of the painting.

He learned the remarkable origin of those words from Professor Lin Tao.

Jade flowers refer not just to her painted floral trees’ vibrant colors and delicate whites, but also uses classical allusion.

Wen Zhengming, among the four great talents of Jiangnan, achieved fame at an older age and higher accomplishments. In literature, painting, and art, Wen Zhengming could surpass greats like Tang Bohu and Zhu Zhisun.

Many scholars consider him the leading figure of artistic accomplishment in the Ming Dynasty.

As a young man, while visiting the Tianshui Zhao Clan, Wen Zhengming painted eight albums of “Flower Painting,” including orchids, wildflowers, begonias, and roses, concise in brushwork but rich in charm, refreshing and captivating with a lingering essence.

The first page of this “Flower Painting” was inscribed with those four characters, “jade flowers.”

Lady Tang Ning not only aimed to imitate and study ancient art, to pay respect to ancient floral painting masters, but also symbolized dawn for a rising star, harboring ambition and pride to surpass the ancients.

People today are not necessarily inferior to those of the past.

Tang Ning hopes her simple “Hundred Flowers Painting” could fulfill the idiom “jade flowers,” surpassing Wen Zhengming’s elaborate eight-album flower painting.

In future references to this allusion, they might first think of Miss Tang Ning, before mentioning the Ming dynasty talents.

Have a look.

These four characters contain such depth, showcasing grandeur and classical elegance.

An erudite scholarly family truly possesses something Gu Weijing could not compare to, imagining tricky wordplay like this was beyond him.

Gu Weijing pondered for a moment.

He withdrew the brush tip from his mouth, dipped it slightly on the inkstone next to him, calmly writing on the surface of the rice paper.

“Humbly presented by Gu Weijing to the revered Mr. Cao Xuan, wishing Teacher Cao to be like a hundred flowers, celebrating with birthday cups year after year.”

Addressing him as Teacher Cao seemed just right.

Calling a senior a teacher is normal, he didn’t overstep by calling himself a disciple, yet expressed his genuine intent and wishes.

He thought for two seconds, then wrote below this line, “White hair fills the brush, spirit flourishing,” these seven characters.

Once more, it was Lady Tang Ning who inspired him.

She likes using Wen Zhengming’s allusions, so Gu Weijing could do the same with Wen Zhengming’s allusions.

“White hair fills the brush, spirit flourishing,” is a tribute to Wen Zhengming’s life achievements. He was one of the longest-lived great painters in Dongxia’s feudal history, potentially the longest, living from the mid-Ming dynasty until the late Ming dynasty. He was born in the Chenghua Year; by the time he passed, Nuerhachi was already born.

As a young man, Wen Zhengming was not as well-known among his peers for artistic prowess, unlike Tang Bohu and others, but he lived a remarkably long life, improving with age, his brushwork becoming more profound as he grew older.

He achieved fame at thirty, became a master at fifty, was recognized as the foremost figure in Jiangnan’s painting sect by sixty, and by the age of eighty or ninety, looking both a hundred years ahead and behind, Wen Zhengming had few rivals.

He returned to simplicity; his work grew more ethereal.

Applying this to refer to Mr. Cao Xuan felt fittingly proper.

Gu Weijing’s humble lines had a hint of flattering sycophancy.

But that’s okay.

So what if he was flattering!

Lady Tang Ning has a scholar’s elegance; this kid, raised among commoners, is street-smart.

Being sweet-tongued as a child has no downsides.

Gu Weijing already figured it out, as the emotional masters on YouTube’s love lessons say, if you love someone, be bold and express it. Wanting to take someone as a teacher is the same.

Focus on doing a great job painting, instead of silently painting alone in the studio as if someone’s fighting to take you as a student.

Occasionally flattering, gifting a painting to Mr. Cao, expressing hopes to be a disciple, making both him and Elder Cao happy.

How wonderful it is.

Gu Weijing smiled slightly, thinking he truly had a master plan.

Germany, in front of the Bauhaus-style old complex of HFBK, the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts, a rehearsal by extras disrupted the usual tranquility.

The cameraman continuously adjusted the still head and tracking of his Sony film camera, while overhead, a DJI Inspire 3 professional drone flew back and forth along its designed programmed aerial path.

A beautiful girl wearing a green backless long dress, in front of the sculpture at the school gate, tried to pose in the “melancholic yet sensual and alluring” demeanor as described by the director.

Whether the allure succeeded is debatable.

Yet in Hamburg’s April weather, with temperatures below ten degrees in the outdoor cold wind, although before starting she draped a shawl over her slender nude back to shield against the cold, her face still showed whiteness from the chill, melancholic for sure.

However, the director didn’t give the signal to commence filming, and no one on set complained.

Even the leading lady didn’t run to the heated actors’ bus nearby to escape the cold; everyone held their breath, seemingly anticipating something.

Finally…

The air filled with a short “beep” electronic sound coming from the academic building.

This was the unified class end bell for the first afternoon class at the University of Hamburg.

This bell sound was like a gun fired by a referee; everyone on set immediately became busy.

An assistant plucked the shawl from the girl’s back, tossing it onto a prop table nearby, the drone ascended, and the lens was controlled to focus on the academy’s entrance.

“Quick, quick, quick, today there’s Professor Cao’s Eastern Art History class—a fellow who took that course said it ends precisely on time, Professor Cao has already left the building, within 3 minutes and 24 seconds, the old professor will walk out this door and cross the lawn in front of the building, photographers get ready, capture this shot, you only have one chance.”

The director glanced at a message on his phone; he arranged for an insider among students who drew lots for Professor Cao’s class and immediately commanded.