Chapter 13: Chen Ping Practices Calligraphy

Fortunately, Li Feng still kept Chen Duohai, who was waiting outside, in mind, so he let Chen Ping go after a short while. He felt that familiarizing himself with the routine today and preparing paper and brushes for tomorrow was the most important thing.

Chen Duohai did not know how to thank Li Feng enough. He had originally thought it would be a blessing from the heavens if the man, setting aside past grievances, would offer even a little guidance. Now that his son was receiving direct instruction from Li Feng, his swarthy cheeks flushed with emotion. He nervously rubbed his hands together and, feeling rather embarrassed, brought Chen Ping to his side. "This... this is too much trouble for you."

Li Feng waved his hand dismissively. "It is no trouble at all. Besides, the lad Chen Ping is clever; I am only too happy to help."

The two men exchanged no further formalities and bid farewell to Li Feng, heading home.

Upon entering their courtyard, they saw Mother Xiang arranging the firewood she had just split, stacking it in a corner of the yard, likely worried that it might get damp if it rained.

Chen Ping moved to help, but as soon as he picked up a piece of firewood, Mother Xiang interrupted him in a flurry. "Why are you bothering with this?"

"I... am I not allowed to help?" Chen Ping looked at her in confusion. This was what he did every day; why was it not allowed today?

Mother Xiang replied as if it were a matter of course, "How can things be the same now? You are a scholar in this family; these hands are meant for holding a brush, not for doing such dirty, laborious work!"

This was sheer nonsense. Chen Ping looked to his father for help, hoping he would talk some sense into his mother—this kind of thinking was simply unacceptable!

But this was wishful thinking on Chen Ping's part. Far from finding fault with Mother Xiang's words, Chen Duohai nodded in agreement, clearly swayed by the notion. Now, the two of them joined forces to stop him.

Seeing this, Chen Ping did not know whether to laugh or cry. His schooling had not even truly begun, yet he was already being treated like a scholar.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Mother Xiang produced a sewn cloth bag containing brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. Although it was his second time visiting Li Feng's house, Mother Xiang was still uneasy and insisted on walking with Chen Ping all the way to the edge of the neighboring village before turning back alone.

Chen Ping followed the village path to the house. He knocked twice, and the force of his hand caused the slightly ajar gate to swing open.

Li Feng, with his trousers rolled up and a hoe in hand, was tilling the soil around the flowers and plants in the courtyard. While he was at it, he did not forget to nudge the earthworms he unearthed toward the chickens roaming the yard.

"So, scholars do manual labor too..."

Li Feng noticed the movement at the gate, and upon turning, he heard Chen Ping's comment. He laughed aloud. "What a thing to say, lad! Why wouldn't a scholar do manual labor?"

Chen Ping realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud and touched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. "That is not what I meant."

The behavior of his family the day before had left him bewildered. Seeing Li Feng like this, he could not hold back his curiosity. "Looking at you, it seems you spend quite some time tending to these flowers and plants."

When it came to his flowers, Li Feng was never tired. He pointed to an orchid and said, "This orchid here is my favorite; I cannot let its beauty go to waste."

"That is excellent!" Chen Ping laughed. "I was just fretting over how to convince my mother. You have helped me a great deal."

"How so?"

Chen Ping pointed to the chickens pecking at the earthworms nearby. "I do not know where my mother got the idea, but yesterday she blocked me from doing any chores, saying I am a scholar. Now that I see you, sir, also taking care of your home in this manner, I finally have a reason to persuade her otherwise."

Li Feng looked in the direction Chen Ping pointed. What he considered a simple, habitual task was viewed by Chen Ping as a serious matter, and he could not help but laugh. "Very well, very well. You have a point."

Even if it was just a casual concession, Chen Ping did not mind. Instead, he begged Li Feng to promise that if Mother Xiang came to ask, he would put in a good word for him, as he truly wanted to continue learning his letters.

With one request leading to another, Li Feng was not annoyed. He simply knocked the dirt off his hoe and prepared to take Chen Ping inside to study; if he was going to help him, Chen Ping had better study hard.

Yesterday's book was brought out again. Li Feng first read the text aloud, then explained its meaning, and finally asked Chen Ping to recite it.

Chen Ping listened carefully and recounted the key points without missing a single word, which greatly pleased Li Feng.

Since losing hope in the imperial examinations, Li Feng had taught many children over the years, but Chen Ping was truly unique.

Knowing that trying to learn too much at once leads to poor digestion, Li Feng decided not to teach new material yet. Instead, he had Chen Ping take out his paper and brushes, teaching him how to arrange them and explaining the value of the Four Treasures of the Study.

"Do not think that because this paper is not as white as that in the books, it is useless. It is perfectly adequate for practicing calligraphy. You are a beginner; your hand is not yet steady, and wasting high-quality paper would be a shame."

Chen Ping nodded in agreement. In this era, the production of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones was a laborious process, not to mention their cost. It was not something his family could afford to squander, and even if Li Feng had not said anything, he would not have dared to waste them.

He mimicked Li Feng's movements to lift the brush, but when it touched the paper, the strokes could hardly be called strokes.

Whether it was because his hand was unsteady or the quality of the paper was truly poor, the ink bled, and the crooked horizontal and vertical lines made him frown.

It was all far too different from what he had expected.

"For a beginner, this is perfectly normal."

Li Feng had been watching Chen Ping's expression. Seeing the dull look on the young face, he quickly offered words of comfort. "Practice more, and it will improve."

Chen Ping knew this to be true. He had never touched a brush in his previous life and was learning from scratch, so he said nothing more and continued to practice.

Before long, his right hand began to tremble. As time passed, the shaking became more pronounced. He knew he had reached his physical limit, and continuing to practice on paper would only be a waste.

He stopped his brush.

"Why have you stopped writing?"

Chen Ping bit his lip. "It is too wasteful."

Li Feng took a look and realized Chen Ping was referring to the paper. Seeing the increasingly shaky strokes, he told him to rest for a while.

The two went into the courtyard, and Li Feng recited poetry while observing the flowers and plants, with Chen Ping repeating each line after him. The scenery outside was indeed beautiful, and soon Li Feng was struck by sudden inspiration, pondering verses while looking at the orchids.

Chen Ping was not idle. Spotting some withered twigs on the ground, he decided to use them as a brush and the earth as his paper, practicing his strokes.

When Li Feng finally regained his focus, he saw that Chen Ping had already written many characters on the ground.

"Wonderful! Why did I not think of this clever method?"

Li Feng took a small sip of cold tea from the stone table. He watched Chen Ping, who was completely unfazed by his presence, and looked at the boy's still-trembling arm. Recalling the word "wasteful" that Chen Ping had used earlier, he felt a flicker of memory, as if he were seeing himself in the days of his own arduous studies.

Chen Ping’s hand had gone stiff. He took a deep breath, stopped his practice, and flexed his fingers. When he looked up, he saw Li Feng staring at him, lost in thought.

"Sir?"

Li Feng collected himself and smiled. "Would you like to rest for a while?"

Chen Ping shook his head and glanced at the sky. "There is not much time left."

Li Feng looked outside and saw smoke rising from the chimneys, confirming that it was indeed getting late. The two returned inside, and Li Feng brought out a new book to continue the lesson.

When Chen Ping was about to leave, Li Feng hesitated but finally urged him, "Practicing on the ground is indeed effective, but it is not absolute. In the end, you must prove your skill on paper."

Chen Ping quickly agreed, thanked Li Feng, and returned home alone.