"Master, I have almost copied your words. But I always feel that something is missing."
A boy with a brush in his hand was practicing calligraphy on a wooden board. A young man in a white gown stood beside him with indifferent eyes. After writing a line, the boy frowned slightly and shook his head slightly, always feeling dissatisfied.
"Continue to practice." The young man replied.
"Master, look, it's almost done." A middle-aged man, holding calligraphy and painting, handed it to a teenager respectfully, his voice trembling slightly.
"Not enough." The teenager shook his head, his voice was indifferent.
"Master, it should be done this time." A gray-haired old man, holding a writing brush, calligraphy and painting in his hand, his eyes revealed a wise look.
"Not bad." The teenager took the calligraphy and painting, glanced slightly, and nodded gently.
After listening, the old man was overjoyed and danced like a child. After decades of hard work, he was finally recognized by his master.
But when the old man was extremely happy, the young man said, "In the future, there's only Wang Xizhi… the calligraphy and painting are all created by you alone, understand?"
"Master, that's impossible… this is a big act of rebellion." The old man gave a grimace look, then knelt down with a thump.
The young man's voice was calm, "Years are passing, but I am the only one who survives. There are traces that I don't want to erase, so every reincarnation, I will find someone to ghostwrite… You are one of them."
Hearing this, the old man trembled. Although he did not fully understand, he knew that the decision made by his master would not be changed. After a long time, he sighed inwardly and said in his mouth, "Master! I understand…"
After that day, the young man left without saying goodbye as he went away floating around the world.
While Wang Xizhi kept a certain degree of selfishness when forging everything, and spent his entire life digging out secret rooms in his courtyard. Although he replaced Ye Bei's calligraphy and paintings, there were also many works that he did not stamp his own seal while he secretly hid a lot of Ye Bei's authentic works.
Time flies and a thousand years had passed.
Ye Bei already knew about this matter, but he had no time to deal with it. When he was living in Kunlun Mountain, he deliberately took notes.
Eighty years ago, he came once. The time had already passed for a thousand years, those calligraphies and paintings were not stamped. He felt that it would be a pity to destroy them, so he left them.
Eighty years later, he revisited his old place.
In the gallery, Ye Bei stood quietly.
After a long moment, his thoughts returned from a thousand years ago. He turned around and put away the scroll paintings of the old man he had brought, he made a direct decision, "Those calligraphies and paintings are already Xizhi's works, without my name. Many of the previous works have also been divided by later generations. Since the years are long, since letting them stay, it is also a kind of fate, so let's just simply let them appear."
…
The next day.
The sky was just bright, Wang Gu rushed out of the room in a hurry. He was still holding the calligraphy and painting in his hand, he moved very carefully as to avoid damaging them.
The clothes on his body were still from yesterday, his eyes were still wearing the reading glasses from yesterday too.
However, at this moment, his complexion was ruddy and luminous as if he stepped on a gem, but the corner of his eyes was dark and his pupils were bloodshot, indicating that he had not rested well last night.
Creak!
He opened the back door of the gallery.
This time, when Wang Gu saw the back of Ye Bei, he was no longer as rude as yesterday.
But his heart could not stop beating wildly.
"Sir, is this calligraphy and painting really done by you yesterday?" His tone was very serious.
"Yes." Ye Bei gave a light reply.
"It's incredible, really incredible. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined such a thing. I can guarantee that if this calligraphy and painting were to hang outside, it would cause a huge shock." With a positive answer from Ye Bei, Wang Gu was particularly happy, like a child.
Afterward, he found a frame in the gallery. His expression changed from joyful to serious as his eyes were concentrated on decoration, his hand was skillful, but he was completely unaware that the person who painted it was far more precious than the calligraphy and painting.
After half an hour.
The calligraphy and the painting were decorated.
Wang Gu excitedly opened the door of the gallery.
The calligraphy of "Orchid Pavilion Preface" and the painting of "Orchid Pavilion Preface" were placed at the door together.
On this day, he did not take a brush and paint as he did in the past. Instead, he set up a small bamboo chair and sat next to the calligraphy and painting, staring at the passerby, hoping that those who knew the goods would appreciate and appraise it together.
At the same time, the light from the corner of his eye swept over the two works from time to time, for fear those two precious things would disappear out of thin air from the spot.
It was early; a bright orange sun rose from to the sky.
The sunlight spilled on the streets of the Ancient Town and on the glazed tiles, reflecting the quiet and the peaceful scenery.
After being developed, the Ancient Town had completely become a tourist town. Even in the early morning, there was never a shortage of tourists.
On the street, people came and went, countless men and women, laughing and giggling.
But at the gallery's entrance, after putting out the two calligraphy and painting, the result was not as Wang Gu expected.
As time flies, the first person to stop was a young lady wearing a floral dress.
When she stopped in front of the calligraphy and painting and looked at it carefully, Wang Gu's complexion rested, thinking that she was an expert and was about to explain. But he was dumbfounded when the girl took out her phone, and after taking two pictures, she left immediately.
The second person to stop was a middle-aged uncle, with his hands behind his back and wise eyes.
Walking to the calligraphy and painting, bending over and inspecting.
Wang Gu's throat surged, he thought that this person should be someone who knew the goods, and he wanted to speak.
The middle-aged uncle suddenly stood up straight, shook his head slightly, turned, and walked, ten steps later, a puzzled voice came, "This gallery has changed its writing. They are too idle, with that level of writing, they wanted to sell it for money? Tsk, it's not even as good as mine…"
When Wang Gu heard this, the muscles on his face twitched, and his heart was very angry.
The third person to stop was an old man. He looked kind and smiling, but with a few teeth missing from this mouth, it looked a little strange and funny.
He walked to the calligraphy and painting, squatted down looked at it carefully.
"Sir, the origin of this calligraphy is not simple…" Wang Gu said when he saw this, he thought it was an opportunity.
"Young fellow, this old man is illiterate, so how do I know what is written on it? I just think that the words on here are twisted and awkward, looking strange too. You have very little business in this shop, I advise you to take these two things in, otherwise, your business will really decline." After listening, the old man stood up, he smiled like a scholar as he almost made Wang Gu vomit blood.
This lasted for three hours, there were still no people who could recognize the two works.
With this changing of the world, most travelers only pursued fashion, and no one knew calligraphy and painting, which was actually normal.
Just when Wang Gu was disappointed and was about to take back the calligraphy and painting, three people walked out from the antique shop which was on the opposite side.
Their faces were cold and full of vigor; they came straight to Wang Gu.
Upon seeing the three, Wang Gu was shocked and quickly guarded the two babies behind him.
The old man walking in the forefront wanted to speak, but when he walked to the calligraphy and painting, after a short glance, his body suddenly stopped and his pupils began to enlarge. The turbulent momentum on his body disappeared instantly and replaced by a wave of amazed and shocked.
…
In the gallery, Ye Bei sat quietly at a table, watching the endless stream of the passerby, and he naturally saw this scene.
Just in his eyes, there were no joys and no worries, extremely calm and detached as if the calligraphy and painting had nothing to do with him.
Life is not just about what you achieve, it's about who you are and how you live.