Chapter 611 - 611: Just How Awful Is This Calligraphy?

Setting down the brush, Zhao Yuan let out a long breath. He turned to Lin Liangzhe with a smile and asked, "Grandpa Lin, is this piece to your liking? Is there anything else you'd like me to write?"

However, Lin Liangzhe didn't answer his question. He just stared, eyes wide, at the freshly written *Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection* on the table, the ink still wet. His body was trembling uncontrollably.

Lin Xue noticed her grandfather's strange behavior and grew worried. She quickly asked, "Zhao Yuan, what's wrong with my grandpa? Is he going to be okay?"

Zhao Yuan reassured her, "Don't worry, Grandpa Lin is fine. He's just a little worked up, that's all. He's in great health, so a little excitement won't do him any harm."

"That's good." Lin Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief, her worries assuaged.

Zhao Yuan spoke to Lin Liangzhe again, "Grandpa Lin, if you don't need anything else written, I'll be heading out now."

Lin Liangzhe still didn't reply. His entire being was immersed in the calligraphy, completely oblivious to everything around him.

Seeing he was captivated, Zhao Yuan smiled and didn't press further. After retracting the Thought Borrowing Technique, he reached out, took Lin Xue's delicate hand, and whispered, "Let's go. We'll let Grandpa Lin study it in peace."

Lin Xue nodded, letting Zhao Yuan lead her out of the study. Only then did she say with a look of admiration, "Your calligraphy is amazing."

"Of course it is!" Zhao Yuan grinned and replied, "If my calligraphy were bad, how could I get on Grandpa Lin's good side? How could I get him to accept me as his grandson-in-law?"

Lin Xue's pretty face flushed from the teasing. She huffed, "You smooth-talker."

Zhao Yuan protested, "How am I a smooth-talker? Grandpa Lin said it himself just now. Didn't you hear him?"

"Nope, I didn't hear a thing," Lin Xue said playfully.

"You didn't hear? Then I'll go ask Grandpa Lin to say it again. I'm sure he definitely wouldn't refuse my request right now." Zhao Yuan pretended to walk back into the study.

Mortified, Lin Xue hurriedly pulled Zhao Yuan back.

The two of them laughed and bantered for a while longer before finally getting ready to leave.

Just then, Xue Wanyun, who had been out grocery shopping, returned with bags of all sizes in her hands, full of freshly bought ingredients. Seeing Zhao Yuan, she smiled and said, "Xiaozhao, you're here so early?"

Zhao Yuan quickly replied, "Hello, Auntie. I'm here to take Xiaoxue somewhere."

Xue Wanyun said, "You young people and your mysterious little plans. Go on, but come back a little early for lunch. Auntie will make a few of her specialties for you to try."

Zhao Yuan replied, "Okay, Auntie. I'll help you in the kitchen when we get back."

Xue Wanyun couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, come on. Help in the kitchen? Do you even know how to cook?"

Zhao Yuan didn't bother with false modesty and answered, "I'm actually a pretty good cook."

Xue Wanyun said, "Oh, really? In that case, I'll be waiting for you to show off your skills at lunch."

"You got it," Zhao Yuan agreed readily.

After saying goodbye to Xue Wanyun, Zhao Yuan led Lin Xue out, got in the car, and headed for the real estate agency.

Back in the study, Lin Liangzhe stood frozen for a full twenty minutes before he finally snapped out of it. He exclaimed, "This calligraphy... it's absolutely beautiful! It's as if the Calligraphy Saint himself was reborn and wrote this with his own hand! Xiaozhao, I knew your calligraphy skills were profound, but I never imagined they were at this level!"

He said a great deal, but there was no reply. Only then did Lin Liangzhe realize that Zhao Yuan and Lin Xue were gone.

He turned, left the study, and called out, "Xiaozhao! Xiaoxue! Where did you two run off to?"

Xue Wanyun came out of the kitchen and said, "Dad, the two of them left a while ago. Didn't you know?"

Lin Liangzhe was stunned. "They left? How long ago?"

Xue Wanyun glanced at the clock and replied, "About twenty minutes or so."

Lin Liangzhe said, "What? They've been gone that long? How did I not notice at all? I was going to ask Xiaozhao to write another piece for me."

Xue Wanyun smiled and said, "Xiaozhao is coming back for lunch. You can ask him to write it then."

"I suppose that's the only way." Lin Liangzhe nodded, then immediately became excited again. "Hehe, I need to show this to those old codgers right away. I'll blow their minds and make them green with envy!"

With that, he turned and hurried back into the study. He took out his phone, aimed it at the *Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection* that Zhao Yuan had written, and snapped several pictures. He then selected the clearest one and sent it to a WeChat group.

Everyone in this group was a relatively famous calligraphy master from Rongcheng City, and they were also all old friends of Lin Liangzhe.

After sending the photo, Lin Liangzhe sent a message to the group: "I've acquired a new piece of calligraphy. It's not too bad. I thought I'd share it for everyone's appreciation."

Someone in the group quickly replied: "Well now, Old Lin, what masterpiece did you get your hands on this time? Is it a classic from a great master like He Junwu or Wei Chengyu?"

"Neither. It's something my grandson-in-law just whipped up," Lin Liangzhe replied.

Several more people immediately surfaced in the group chat. No one paid any attention to the photo he sent; they were all gossiping: "Since when do you have a grandson-in-law? Isn't your granddaughter still in school?"

"That's right, my granddaughter is in school, but does that mean she's not allowed to have a boyfriend? I swear, you guys are all old enough to know better, so why are you still so nosy? Besides, you're missing the point! What you should be doing right now is admiring my grandson-in-law's calligraphy, not shooting the breeze with me. Anyway, I'm not going to waste any more time on you lot. I need to get back to studying this piece."

After sending that message, Lin Liangzhe tossed his phone aside and once again leaned over the desk. He began to study Zhao Yuan's calligraphy, letting out heartfelt sighs of admiration and praise from time to time.

Meanwhile, in his WeChat group, no one was taking his words seriously. They all started joking with him.

"Old Lin, how old is your grandson-in-law anyway? What kind of decent calligraphy could he possibly produce? You're really laying it on a bit thick with the bragging."

"Exactly! And you want us to 'admire' it? Are you kidding me? We may not be on the level of masters like He Junwu or Wei Chengyu, but we're accomplished and well-known in our own right. If anyone should be admiring anything, it's your grandson-in-law who should be admiring our work!"

"Old Lin, why've you gone quiet? Too ashamed to talk to us now?"

Just as everyone was chattering and cracking jokes, someone suddenly sent a voice message. Their voice was trembling with excitement as they said, "You guys need to go look at the calligraphy Old Lin posted! It's absolutely terrifying!"

Terrifying?

Hearing this, everyone in the group paused.

'What's that supposed to mean? Could the calligraphy really be that bad?'

But for it to be bad on a "terrifying" level, bad enough to make someone's voice tremble as if they were "scared"—just how bad would it have to be?

Their curiosity piqued, everyone scrolled back through the chat history and tapped on the photo Lin Liangzhe had sent.