noveldrama
Chapter 568: 568: Received Praise
Chapter 568: 568: Received Praise
Chapter 568: Chapter 568: Received Praise
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This was an old man in the twilight of his years, his face full of age spots and crisscrossing wrinkles. On his face, one could not feel any sense of authority, and even staring into his eyes, there was no longer any pressure felt. But Luo Ziling knew that this old man could make many people’s hearts skip a beat with a mere cough or cause the land of Huaxia to tremble with a weak stomp of his foot.
With just a word from the old man, the fate or even life and death of a person could be determined—and not just any person at that.
“Great Grandfather, I have come to see you today, to wish you longevity beyond Namshan Mountain and fortune as vast as the East Sea,” Luo Ziling said upon his first sight of Ling Mingrui. He had felt an immense pressure just approaching the doorway, a feeling of oppression he knew came from Ling Jinhua. But when he faced Ling Jinhua directly, that sense of oppression vanished.
He spoke the courteous words of blessing naturally, and after finishing, he even smiled at the Ling Jinhua who lay in bed.
It was a strange sensation—the pressure from Ling Mingrui had also disappeared.
Ling Jinhua, who had his eyes half-closed, opened them wide after hearing what Luo Ziling said and stared unblinkingly at him. After a moment, he showed a smile and turned his gaze from Luo Ziling to Ling Ruonan, “Nannan, your son is not bad at all.”
Ling Ruonan, who had been quite nervous, immediately bloomed with joy upon hearing Ling Jinhua’s words and couldn’t help but smile, but she humbly demurred, “Grandfather is too kind. Ling’er has always been brought up in a small village in the Northwest; his manners are lacking, so if he has been disrespectful, please forgive him, and I hope father and third uncle will not take offense.”
Ling Qirui and Ling Mingrui remained silent but stepped back two paces, leaving the space in front of the bed to Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan.
Ling Jinhua’s gaze returned to Luo Ziling, his smile faded to a serious expression, “Today is my ninetieth birthday. What gift have you brought for me?”
Luo Ziling quickly took out the health medicines he had prepared from his bag and explained with a smile that they were gathered or formulated by himself and his grandfather.
But Ling Jinhua was not satisfied, “Your gift is too commonplace.”
Luo Ziling looked at Ling Jinhua with an astonished face, then at Ling Ruonan, who was equally surprised, somewhat at a loss for words.
Ling Jinhua simply smiled and closed his eyes to rest.
Ling Ruonan seemed to understand something and whispered to Luo Ziling, “Ling’er, why don’t you write a piece of calligraphy for Great Grandfather? He really enjoys calligraphy.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Ziling immediately got the hint and smiled at Ling Jinhua, “Great Grandfather, I will write a pair of lines for you as a gift. If you are satisfied, please keep it; if not, feel free to throw it in the waste paper basket.”
Ling Jinhua smiled faintly but made no further comment.
Luo Ziling breathed a sigh of relief and promptly walked over to the book desk to one side.
When he entered the room, Luo Ziling had already noticed a large book desk in one corner with the Four Treasures of the Study arranged on it. He was also aware that the elder was a calligraphy enthusiast; otherwise, he wouldn’t have such things in his room.
Ling Ruonan came over to get a piece of Xuan paper for Luo Ziling and laid it out on the desk, then personally prepared the ink and brush for him.
While the mother and son were getting ready to write, Ling Jinhua didn’t make a sound, and neither did Ling Mingrui or Ling Qirui.
After Luo Ziling dipped the brush in ink, he pondered briefly, then began to write briskly.
Don’t listen for the sounds of leaves rustling in the forest,
Why not recite poetry at a leisurely pace?
Bamboo staff and straw sandals are lighter than a horse,
Who fears?
A raincoat in the misty rain is all one needs for life.
A sharp spring breeze awakens from wine’s slumber,
Slightly chilled,
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The slanting sun on the hilltops greets me,
Turning back to where the desolate path lies,
I return,
Neither storm nor shine do I see.
Just as Luo Ziling had written two lines, Ling Mingrui and Ling Qirui, who had been watching him with indifference, revealed a look of surprise in their eyes, and came over to stand by his side to observe.
Ling Ruonan had always been standing next to Luo Ziling, watching intently. When she saw Luo Ziling write “Do not listen to the sound of leaves being struck in the forest” with a very elegant posture in semi-cursive script, she couldn’t help but express her joy on her face.
Luo Ziling’s posture in writing was very dashing, but more importantly, the characters he produced flowed like lively dragons and startling phoenixes, giving the sense of clouds gliding across water.
Watching Luo Ziling write swiftly onward, the pride on Ling Ruonan’s face grew more and more intense, and finally, she couldn’t help but burst into a smile.
After Luo Ziling had finished writing Su Dongpo’s famous piece “Calming the Waves,” he also signed his name below it.
After finishing, he threw down his pen, stepped back two paces, and looked at his work with satisfaction.
“Excellent writing,” Ling Qirui, standing to one side and watching, couldn’t help but praise, “It has the level of a master.”
“The writing is good,” said Ling Mingrui, praising as well, but he said nothing more.
“Let me have a look,” Ling Jinhua, who was lying on his bed coughing lightly, commanded softly after hearing his son and nephew’s praises.
“Yes, Great Grandfather.”
“Yes, Grandpa!”
Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan agreed almost simultaneously.
The mother and son, each holding two corners of the rice paper, brought the still-drying calligraphy to the bedside together.
Ling Mingrui and Ling Qirui were one step ahead, helping the old master sit up and stuffing a pillow behind Ling Jinhua to prop him up.
Seeing the calligraphy written by Luo Ziling, Ling Jinhua’s eyes actually brightened, and he extended his slightly trembling hands, signaling Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan to bring it closer, and asked Ling Qirui to fetch his reading glasses.
After putting on his reading glasses, Ling Jinhua looked very seriously at the verses written by Luo Ziling and softly recited them.
“Excellent writing, excellent verses,” After looking over them twice, Ling Jinhua couldn’t help but show a smile, “The writing is good, it has the style of Wang Youjun. Mr. Dongpo’s verse suits the description of your lives very well… It seems that you, grandfather and grandson, are always very optimistic.”
Hearing Ling Jinhua praising Luo Ziling in front of so many people, Ling Ruonan completely relaxed, but she said nothing, instead giving Luo Ziling a look, signaling him to speak for himself.
Luo Ziling answered with humility and confidence, “Great Grandfather, my calligraphy was taught by my grandfather, who is skilled in semi-cursive and regular script; however, despite years of practice, I am still not as good as him. This verse, Grandfather and I often write it together, fond of the mood it conveys.”
“It seems Sir Luo is still so unyielding,” Ling Jinhua chuckled and joked, then asked Luo Ziling, “What style of regular script did you study?”
Hearing Ling Jinhua ask this, Ling Qirui and Ling Mingrui exchanged glances, and both saw something unusual in each other’s eyes.
It appears Ling Ruonan’s son is quite to the old master’s liking; otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked such a question upon first meeting him.
Though it’s a minor question, such small questions best reflect the old master’s preferences.
That Luo Ziling was being accepted back into the family fold seemed all but certain.