BXBX NOVEL Chapter 404 - 404: Consider Selling?
“Your turn to write.” Tao Jingyuan gave up her seat to her husband.
Zheng Kuo shook his head. “You should do it. Your calligraphy is beautiful. The only time I use a pen is to sign my name, and my handwriting never sees the light of day.”
Feifei stood between his parents, with hands on his hips. “Mom and Dad, you’re not brave at all. Either of you can write the words, and I’ll copy them.” Tao Jingyuan held the pen. “Let me do it.”
At the Li family, Lin Wan wanted to exclaim, but she held herself back.
Not only did Li Yanchen have excellent handwriting, but he also wrote in various styles. He could use a regular script or a formal script.
The neatly cut red paper was quickly filled with writing.
Li Zexuan and Li Zexin each held a pair of couplets to show in front of the camera.
[Wow, is Mr. Li so skilled?]
[Could Mr. Li be a calligrapher?]
[Possibly! His handwriting is impressive.]
[He writes in different styles, too. They all look so beautiful.]
Lin Wan immediately decided that this year’s Spring Festival couplets for the Lin family’s old mansion would all be done by Li Yanchen. She would also have his calligraphy printed and laminated, so she could sell them.
Such beautiful calligraphy should be appreciated by everyone.
“Mr. Li, are you considering selling them?” Lin Wan asked.
Li Yanchen was speechless.
“Write a few more and get them printed at a factory. If you prefer the pure handmade route, I’ll rent a booth at the New Year’s festival, and you can write and sell them on-site.”
The three children were stunned.
“I’m not selling them,” said Li Yanchen.
“How about giving them away, then?”
“Dad, our school has a charity sale at the end of each semester. If you write them, I’ll help you sell them for one yuan each…” Li Zekai suddenly remembered the flea market they had at school at the end of each semester. In previous years, ne would sell ms toys ror a cneap price, Dut now witn tne couplets his dad wrote, everyone would want them for the Chinese New Year. He could save his toys!
[One yuan each? Hahaha… I want some! As many as you have!]
[Jiejie, take them outside to sell. I’ll give you two yuan for each.]
[Mr. Li might be thinking, “Is my calligraphy really worth so little? I’ve used this hand to sign contracts worth billions, and now people value my writing at just one yuan?”]
[It really looks fantastic!]
[I want some. I’m willing to pay ten yuan each!]
“Look at the comments. Everyone loves them,” Lin Wan said.
“I just remembered… I have to go and see if Brother Xiao needs any help. You guys keep streaming.” Li Yanchen came up with an excuse.
[Mr. Li, don’t run away! Magician Xiao is here, and his calligraphy is on par with yours!]
[Go to Tutu’s place. Tutu and Su Wei need urgent assistance.]
[I’m here to call for Mr. Li as well!]
At Tutu’s house, Su Wei cut the paper into a pile of long strips and searched on his phone for several couplets. He wrote them on the paper first and then measured the length and width of the red paper with a ruler to calculate the height of each character.
Then he prepared the ink. He had seen others do calligraphy. ‘What’s so difficult about it?’
But when he held the brush, he found that his hand was shaking.
“Dad, what’s wrong with your hand?” Tutu leaned on the table and waited for his father to start making a stroke on the paper.
A few minutes ago, when they received the brushes, ink, and paper, Tutu had asked his dad if knew how to use a brush.
Su Wei had confidently said, “Of course.”
Brush calligraphy was not as easy to control. Although he tried hard to control the flow of his wrist, his hand shook.
“Dad, let me see how they do it.”
Before Su Wei could agree, Tutu had already run out.
Su Wei spread out some paper to practice on. He wrote ten characters in a row. Each one looked crooked.
With this level of skill, if he pasted it on the door, he’d be laughed at.
He put down the brush. ‘Isn’t writing supposed to be easy?’
On the way, Tutu ran into Li Yanchen. When he found out that Li Yanchen was already done with the calligraphy, Tutu dragged him to his house.
“Dad, I brought Uncle Li here. He already finished writing couplets at his house,” said Tutu.
Su Wei looked at Li Yanchen in disbelief. “You can do it?”
“The director said to try it ourselves,” Li Yanchen said, with his hands in his pockets.
Su Wei knew that, but he couldn’t do it.
“Take a look at what I wrote. Does this work?” He showed the characters he had written to Li Yanchen.
Li Yanchen took a deep breath.
[President Su, are these handwritten? It looks like some roaches stepped in ink and crawled around the paper.]
[But President Su said he could do it. He said it was very simple.]
[I also used to think it was easy to write with a brush. But when I actually tried to write, it was so difficult.]
[These characters… you’d better not put them up. The owner of the house will protest when they come back.]
[Let Mr. Li save you. Mr. Li’s writing is excellent.]
“Are you saving i can ihst paste them on the door in this state?” asked Sli Wei-
Li Yanchen took one hand out of his pocket and touched his nose. “You can stick it around the corner, so it is easier to take them off…
“And you still think I can do it?”
“The director set the rules…”
Su Wei video-called the director and showed him the characters he had written. “Director, is this okay?”
The director was at a loss for words.
“It’s not okay, right? Can I ask someone else for help? This couplet has such profound meaning. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“That’s fine,” said the director.
“The director agrees. So, please help me, Mr. Li. Wait… can you actually write?” asked Su Wei doubtfully.
“How can you tell if I’m capable or not unless I write a few characters?” Li Yanchen said confidently.
[Confident Mr. Li.]
[The director must be speechless.]
[It’s normal for brush calligraphy to look ugly. I’ve won awards for hard pen calligraphy, but I can’t write well with a soft brush.]
[That’s right. Brush calligraphy requires a lot of balance and control.]
Li Yanchen waved his brush, and several pairs of couplets were quickly completed.
Su Wei watched in astonishment.
Tutu admired the couplets. “Uncle Li, your handwriting is even better than our Chinese teacher’s.”
“Mr. Li, you’ve got some skills!” Su Wei gave him a thumbs up.
At the Li family’s house, Lin Wan searched for a tutorial to make rice glue.
When everything was ready, she called Li Yanchen. He had been talking with Su Wei when he heard her call him. He returned home.
Five people in the courtyard sat in front of the camera. They waited for the Festival Group to inspect their work.
At Doudou’s house, Li Meng loved Chinese class the most when she was in school. She loved the composition and calligraphy classes. Although they didn’t have grading back then, Li Meng insisted on practicing characters for years, both with a hard and a soft brush.
Writing couplets was a piece of cake for Li Meng, and Pei Lingfeng knew about his wife’s skills. He watched with their daughter and appreciated her work.
[Li Meng is also an expert. Just by looking at her posture, you can tell she has practiced a lot.]
[Definitely! Coach Pei and Doudou are watching her write. They have full confidence in Li Meng.]
[Why is my handwriting so ugly? I’m so embarrassed..]