126: Chapter 126 Appreciating Calligraphy and Painting

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming did not introduce the names and positions of the three individuals one by one, only vaguely brushing past it: "Zhu Wenhao, these are all old brothers I have known for many years. Today is the weekend, so we have gathered together to discuss scholarship."

In this kind of setting, concealing identities is, in itself, a silent threshold.

The higher the status and power of the people, the more they avoid mentioning their titles during private gatherings.

Zhu Wenhao walked forward and offered the respect of a junior: "Hello, elders."

He did not ask another question, nor did he appear uneasy because the other party had not introduced themselves.

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming watched this demeanor of his, and the appreciation in his eyes increased by a fraction.

"Principal Zhou, I drank some top-grade Dancong at your place yesterday." Zhu Wenhao placed the cloth bag at his side onto the coffee table and took out an unmarked iron tea canister from it, "Today, this junior has brought some tea from my own home. I invite Principal Zhou and the elders to taste and critique it."

General Manager Zhou Shutong stood behind her uncle-in-law, her gaze falling on that bare iron canister.

There was no luxurious packaging, no origin label, not even a seal.

She had seen countless top-tier social exchanges at the investment bank; no matter how precious the cigars, red wine, or coffee beans were, their outer packaging was always exquisitely crafted.

This Zhu Wenhao, bringing loose tea that looked like it cost a few dozen yuan per jin from a street grocery store, actually dared to strike such a calm pose?

She mentally discounted the value of this gift, even feeling that this person was being far too arrogant.

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming, however, did not think so; he reached out to take the iron canister and casually removed the lid.

The moment the lid was pulled off, an extremely restrained yet mellow aroma wafted out from the mouth of the canister.

There was none of the pungent, high fragrance of new tea; this scent was calm, heavy, and carried the rock rhyme accumulated over the years.

The elderly man on the left playing with walnuts stopped his movements.

He clutched the two walnuts in his palm, leaned forward to take a deep breath, and examined the tea leaves in the canister.

"The dry tea is dark and moist, with tightly knotted strips. This charcoal fire fragrance... Old Zhou, hurry and boil the water. Just by smelling this scent, one knows this is Wuyi Mountain Zheng Yan Da Hong Pao, and it is aged tea, with the traditional handmade charcoal roasting level."

The elderly man looked up at Zhu Wenhao, "This stuff cannot be bought on the market. Young friend, you have put in much effort."

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming heard this and immediately turned to clean the tea set.

"Principal Zhou, let me."

Zhu Wenhao rolled up his shirt sleeves and walked to the tea table.

He took over the tea service.

Scalding the cups, warming the pot, adding the tea.

His movements had not a single bit of unnecessary flair.

Boiling water poured down from high above, the tea soup tumbled in the purple clay pot, and was then poured low into the fairness cup.

His wrist holding the pot was extremely steady, the water flow like a pillar, a continuous line.

That was the muscle memory of someone who had been immersed in this path for years, carving the rules into their bones.

General Manager Zhou Shutong watched coldly from the side, her gaze gradually shifting from that canister of tea leaves to Zhu Wenhao's hands.

Although she did not understand the intricate etiquette of the Chinese tea ceremony, she still had the ability to distinguish good from bad.

In Zhu Wenhao's movements, there was not a trace of unnecessary performance.

Scalding the cups, warming the pot, adding the tea. Every action was as precise as a machine, yet it carried a rhythm of controlling everything.

She had seen this kind of composure in the top-tier traders on Wall Street who could flip clouds and rain, but on Zhu Wenhao, it seemed heavier and more ancient.

The tea soup was divided into five small white porcelain cups.

The soup color was orange-yellow and bright, clear and without impurities.

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming and the three elderly men picked up their tea cups and tasted it carefully.

"The rock rhyme is excellent, mellow and sweet on the finish." The elderly man wearing reading glasses put down his cup, "Good tea."

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming turned to look at General Manager Zhou Shutong, who had been silent all along, "Shutong, you try it too. The tea Zhu Wenhao brought is good, but this method of brewing tea is even more superb."

General Manager Zhou Shutong did not decline and picked up the cup of tea in front of her.

The tea soup entered her mouth, slightly bitter, then immediately transformed into an extremely strong sweetness rising from her throat.

This taste actually suppressed the restlessness in her heart caused by work.

She glanced at Zhu Wenhao, who was sitting opposite her, and put away her previous contempt.

This person indeed had hidden depths.

After three rounds of tea.

Zhu Wenhao picked up the painting tube beside him, "Principal Zhou, yesterday I admired the masterpiece you hung in your office, and my heart was itching to try. Last night, I went back and painted one myself, and today I brought it specially for you to critique."

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming's eyes lit up.

Yesterday, he had just been polite, but he did not expect this young man to have actually painted it overnight.

"Good, good, good." Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming replied repeatedly and turned to look at the elderly man in the middle wearing reading glasses, "Deputy Captain Liang Tao, this job must be done by you. You, a great expert in traditional Chinese painting, please take a look."

Deputy Captain Liang Tao, a retired old professor from the Jiangnan Province Academy of Fine Arts, is a leading figure in the domestic calligraphy and painting appraisal circle.

The number of paintings and calligraphy that had passed through his eyes was countless; as long as he could give two positive comments, the weight of this painting in the circle would be completely different.

Deputy Captain Liang Tao rubbed his nose bridge. "Having eaten someone's food, one's mouth is soft; having drunk such good tea from young friend Zhu Wenhao, this old man will rely on his seniority to take a look at the young man's brushwork."

He spoke politely, but he did not hold high expectations.

Traditional Chinese painting emphasizes depth; for a young man in his twenties, being able to draw lines evenly would be considered good, let alone talking about atmosphere.

He stood up and walked to the desk.

Zhu Wenhao untied the painting tube, pulled out the painting scroll, and spread it flat on the wide desk.

Deputy Captain Liang Tao's originally casual gaze stopped abruptly when one-third of the painting scroll was unfurled.

He did not speak and quickly pushed the entire painting open completely.

There was no misty rain of the Jiangnan water towns, nor the exquisite carving of flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

The entire painting was of a huge scale, depicting towering mountains and a rushing great river.

Deputy Captain Liang Tao took out a high-magnification magnifying glass from his jacket pocket, leaned down, and his nose tip almost touched the rice paper.

His expression became increasingly serious, even revealing a bit of harshness.

Seeing Deputy Captain Liang Tao like this, the others also gathered around.

General Manager Zhou Shutong stood on the periphery, looking at the ink painting on the table, her heart slightly shaken.

She did not understand traditional texturing, rubbing, dotting, and dyeing, but even from the perspective of Western art composition, the sense of oppression of this painting was extremely strong.

That main peak was like a sharp sword piercing the sky, and the surrounding mountains all formed a posture of guarding it.

This was not the escapism of a scholar entrusting their feelings to the mountains and rivers; this was the embodiment of kingly ambition.

Deputy Captain Liang Tao looked for a full five minutes before straightening his waist.

He put the magnifying glass back into his pocket and let out a long, turbid breath.

"This painting..." Deputy Captain Liang Tao pointed to the outline of the mountain rocks on the painting, "Axe-cut texture, with ink rendering. The brushwork is strong, upright, and vigorous; square, hard, and sharp."

He turned his head to stare at Zhu Wenhao, his gaze extremely penetrating.

"This kind of brushwork is overly fierce and extremely difficult to master; few people in the modern art world can paint this kind of authentic, fierce aura. What is even rarer is the atmosphere in this painting, high and looking down, overlooking all things."

Deputy Captain Liang Tao changed the subject and pointed out the peculiarity.

"However, this ink and this paper are clearly newly made last night; it is very strange."

Laymen watch the excitement, experts watch the technique.

Zhu Wenhao stood steadily beside the desk, with no waves on his face.

In his previous life, he spent sixty years in the Great Ming Dynasty; this brushwork had long been integrated into his bones and blood, so how could it be easily removed?

He had already prepared the excuse.

"Elder Liang, your eyes are like torches." Zhu Wenhao bowed slightly, "This junior has been interested in classical Chinese books since childhood, especially preferring the style of Ming Dynasty court paintings. In my spare time, I often find ancient manuals to copy, just for the sake of enjoyment, and this brushwork became fixed. It is only a superficial imitation, making you laugh."

Deputy Captain Liang Tao nodded and did not delve further into the origin of this technique inheritance.

In the calligraphy and painting world, there is no lack of gifted prodigies.

"Such spirit deserves a good sentence." Deputy Captain Liang Tao walked to the brush rack, picked up a brush, and dipped it in ink, "Young friend, this old man will leave an inscription on your painting, you don't mind, right?"

"I would be honored."

Deputy Captain Liang Tao, in the blank space on the upper right corner of the painting scroll, right next to Zhu Wenhao's line "The solitary peak does not associate with the other mountains, rising straight into the highest clouds," lifted his wrist and wrote: "There is the sound of gold and spears at the tip of the brush, and the ambition of devouring and spitting out in the chest. In the year of Guimao, Deputy Captain Liang Tao respectfully observed."

Putting down the brush, finishing the stroke.

A painting, with this line from Deputy Captain Liang Tao, can be considered to have established a foundation in the cultural circle of Jiangnan Province.

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming looked at the painting, full of joy, and immediately carefully packed it up, preparing to take it for mounting.

The crowd returned to the reception area to sit down.

The third elderly man who had not said much just now, that is, the elder with a slightly plump figure holding a purple clay cup, spoke at this moment.

"Young friend."

The slightly plump elder put down the tea cup, his gaze falling on Zhu Wenhao.

"Since you have studied the calligraphy and painting of the Ming Dynasty deeply, you must have unique insights into that period of history."

The elder leaned forward half an inch, his tone casual, but it carried the meaning of testing.

"The Great Ming Dynasty lasted two hundred and seventy-six years. Evaluations in history books mostly focus on the kings' negligence in administration, the eunuch party's dictatorship, or constant border troubles. Today, let us set aside these grand narrative conclusions and only talk about the foundation of governing the country and managing affairs."

The elder threw out the real question: "How do you evaluate the gains and losses of the Great Ming Dynasty in grassroots governance?"

Executive Vice President Zhou Zhengming restrained his smile, and Deputy Captain Liang Tao no longer fiddled with the items in his hand.

General Manager Zhou Shutong keenly realized that the examination of Zhu Wenhao by these three elders had already deepened from external techniques to the core of governing the country and managing affairs.