Chapter 170: Chapter 151: You’ve Renewed It for Again?! Chapter 170: Chapter 151: You’ve Renewed It for Again?! After the blue-clothed young girl closed the door, the crowd waiting outside the side door went quiet for a mont before a low murmur arose.
Zhao Rong muttered, “Blessings never co in pairs, misfortunes never co singly…”
His gaze was fixed on the strange couplet.
Zhao Rong’s eyebrows slowly rose, not only because the content of the couplet was interesting and ominous, yet it was posted on the side door of the Academy, even though the side door was not as important as the main entrance.
It was also because the writing on the couplet was interesting, hmm, one could also say that the person who had inscribed the couplet was interesting.
The kaishu calligraphy on the couplet, characterful and elegant, bore the moist sheen of ink not yet dry, radiating a faint ethereal beauty. Each character was crisply and gracefully carved, like an orchid, standing aloof from the world, quiet and refined.
It is said that one’s writing reflects one’s character, and although not absolute, the writing on this wooden door couplet indeed made it very hard not to feel an appreciation for the… woman who wrote it.
Zhao Rong watched unblinkingly, absorbed in appreciation. He had always had a fondness for calligraphy and had finally encountered an interesting like-minded individual, his hunting instincts piqued, he observed the characters quietly.
“Teacher Zhu has written another couplet, sss, what’s with today’s pair, cough, cough.”
“You guys, you guys, making Teacher Zhu exert herself again…”
“Isn’t this good? We get to feast our eyes. Say, how many has it been this month?”
Bits and pieces of conversation reached Zhao Rong’s ears.
A scholar sighed with emotion, “Alas, to be spiritually connected with Teacher Zhu for so long…”
Soone scoffed, “Psh, you, spiritually connected with a female teacher? Does the teacher even know you? Better wait until you’ve entered the Academy before you say that.”
“You…”
Zhao Rong’s expression shifted slightly. Seeing that the crowd was slightly abuzz because of the couplet, he carefully inquired of so scholars beside him who seed talkative and soon grasped the general idea.
This Teacher Zhu was one of the few female teachers at the Academy, with the given na Zhu Weirui. It was said that she had not been at Linlu Academy for long, but she had already made quite a na for herself.
Zhao Rong asked curiously, “What does this Teacher Zhu look like?”
A scholar beside him widened his eyes:
“Vulgar. You are simply insufferable with your vulgarity! How can you judge a talented woman like Teacher Zhu, who is well-versed in the Saintly Books, poetry and prose, and is proficient in everything, based on her appearance? That is utterly crass thinking!”
“……” Zhao Rong.
The scholar reproached Zhao Rong with righteous indignation, a look about him that suggested he was ashad to be associated with Zhao Rong.
Other scholars attracted by the scolding chid in, “Exactly, exactly, what we admire most about Teacher Zhu is her character and her scholarship… However, such a woman, naturally endowed with divine elegance, must be born with the poise of autumn waters and the bone structure of white jade, serene and graceful, with the gentle disposition of an orchid heart…”
Everybody echoed in agreent.
Zhao Rong, receiving a pile of scornful glances, was sowhat speechless.
I have a feeling you guys actually really want to know what Teacher Zhu looks like, don’t you?
Look at how effortlessly you describe her appearance with those longing adjectives…
Zhao Rong shook his head inwardly but said nothing more. Right now, his first priority was to blend in… ahem, to rightfully enter Linlu Academy…
Wait a mont.
Zhao Rong suddenly turned around and took another look at the strange couplet, his mind recalling the provocative glance and the haughty huff from the peculiar young girl before she left.
At this mont, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of scholars in the crowd who seed hesitant or eager to try.
Zhao Rong suddenly turned, using his hands that, though sowhat neglected but were still incomparably nimble from being single for nearly forty years in this life and the last, took out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from his bookcase and rapidly ground the ink block with clear water.
The next second.
Zhao Rong dashed up the steps, the first ti he had ever co before that wooden door.
The scholars below all watched this scene in amazent, for a mont they looked at each other, speechless.
Zhao Rong held the inkstone in one hand and grasped the brush with the other. Faced with this rare opportunity that could very well be Teacher Zhu testing the scholars outside the Academy, he flicked his head slightly, throwing the band that had fallen to his chest to the back, and decisively began inscribing on the strange couplet.
Under the watchful eyes of all, Zhao Rong’s brush moved like a dragon or snake, bold and unrestrained with his ink splashes.
In less than ten breaths, he flicked his right hand to finish the final stroke, then suddenly turned around. With an indifferent smile, he faced the many gazes, descending the steps with a casual posture and returned to where he stood before.
Everyone’s gaze once again focused on the couplet that had just been continued.
Now the couplet read:
Blessings never co in pairs; today they have co
Misfortunes never co singly; last night they went
The couplet which seed ominous just a mont ago had now, with just a few added words, undergone a complete transformation of aning!
After seeing this, everyone was silent for a mont, then burst into unanimous applause, praising the cleverness.
Confronted with the crowd’s admiration and varied gazes, Zhao Rong remained calm but also quietly took it all in.
So eyes showed admiration.
So eyes were surprised; probably because he had deliberately used a style of semi-cursive script that had never appeared in this world before, Zhao Rong thought to himself.
So wore expressions of disdain.
Others… seed amused?
Zhao Rong slightly frowned, but he didn’t mind them.
He tidied up his things and began waiting again.
His intention to stand out this ti wasn’t for the sake of those difficult brothers outside the gate.
So, hurry up and open the gate…
Zhao Rong’s eyes were firmly fixed on that wooden door, yet his mind was no longer anxious about being rejected at the gate; his thoughts had unknowingly drifted miles away.
What was Qing Jun doing now?
And Xiaoxiao, was that silly girl cuddling in her blankets, refusing to get up again?
Zhao Rong’s mind wandered far away, and ti passed without his noticing.
It quickly went from early morning to nearly noon, which also seed like the ti when so of the teachers at Linlu Academy would finish their classes.
Creak——
Suddenly, a sound rang out, and Zhao Rong’s spirits lifted; he imdiately stood up and gazed intently.
He saw the wooden gate being opened once more.
It was the sa blue-clothed girl from the morning!
Zhao Rong’s eyes showed expectation.
The blue-clothed girl appeared to be responsible for managing the gate, and as noon approached, with people likely needing to enter or leave, she ca to open the gate.
After she pushed open the wooden gate, as usual, she glanced outside briefly before turning to go back inside.
Zhao Rong’s heart tightened.
Quick, look at the couplet!
Just as she turned around, with her hands behind her and her little short legs taking a step, the blue-clothed girl seed to have heard Zhao Rong’s urgent thoughts.
Her small fra suddenly paused, the other foot she was about to step forward with hung in the air.
Then,
she slowly retracted it.
The blue-clothed girl tilted her head, took a step back, and looked to the sides at the wide-open wooden gate.
In an instant, she was stunned.
Zhao Rong gently exhaled, relieved she had finally seen it. Well, this little girl was quite perceptive.
The blue-clothed girl turned around slowly, stepped across the threshold, and silently walked outside to stand on the steps and stare at the crowd.
The crowd at the foot of the stairs had, unbeknownst to when, beco utterly silent.
The blue-clothed girl’s black eyes narrowed slightly as she surveyed the crowd, then turned to look again at the special couplet she had just obtained from the teacher in the morning.
Turning back, the blue-clothed girl asked seriously, “Who added to this?”
This was the first ti Zhao Rong heard her speak, hmm, not counting the light hum from the morning. Although the blue-clothed girl seed quite young, her voice was not childishly squeaky; rather, it was charmingly crisp and carried a hint of ethereal quality, like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.
However, Zhao Rong didn’t have the mind to think about this at the mont.
“Ahem~”
He quickly coughed lightly in a volu all could hear, then with one hand behind his back and the other held forward, he walked towards her under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
What puzzled Zhao Rong, however, was… why were all these fellows around him backing away? Uh, was that really necessary?
The blue-clothed girl paid no attention to those retreating from the crowd; she locked her gaze on Zhao Rong from the first mont.
Zhao Rong arrived at the foot of the stairs in front of the blue-clothed girl.
Even though the blue-clothed girl stood on the stairs, Zhao Rong was still a head taller than her.
The blue-clothed girl pouted, not lifting her head, but her eyes rolled up slightly to look at Zhao Rong, who was just a bit taller.
“Did you add to this?”
Zhao Rong blinked, coughed again softly with his fist to his mouth, but still did not speak, and simply bowed to her.
His expression was humble.
The air went quiet for three seconds.
The blue-clothed girl suddenly beca furious, raised her little foot, and stomped hard on Zhao Rong’s foot like a small wild cat with its fur on end.
“Ah! I went to great lengths to obtain a couplet from the teacher that no one would steal again, and you’ve gone and added to it?!”
“……” Zhao Rong.
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