Xue Lingyun stared in shock at the enormous plaque on the table, her delicate hand covering her mouth to stifle a sound.
"Uncle Wang, is this really ten-thousand-year-old sandalwood?"
Old Wang glanced at Xue Lingyun. "What? Do you think your Uncle Wang, who's studied wood all his life, wouldn't recognize sandalwood? This is clearly ten-thousand-year-old sandalwood, and the finest of all! I just don't know where this kid got such a large piece."
"You little thief, where did you steal ten-thousand-year-old sandalwood?"
"Heroine, spare me! This is a family heirloom!"
With a few words spoken as if in jest, Qin Feng explained the sandalwood's origin. He didn't want to deceive Xue Lingyun, but the existence of the system absolutely couldn't be revealed.
Xue Lingyun didn't press the matter further. As a very intelligent girl, she knew perfectly well where the line for jokes lay.
Old Wang had recovered and climbed off the sandalwood plaque, but in an instant, a terrifying question crossed his mind!
"Kid, you're not thinking of using this top-grade rosewood for your signboard, are you?"
"Yes, Uncle Wang, that's exactly what I'm planning to use. What's wrong with that?"
Qin Feng's heart was bleeding, but he still feigned curiosity and asked.
"What's wrong? You spendthrift! Do you know how precious such a large and fine piece of rosewood is? You actually intend to use it for your little tavern's signboard?"
Old Wang pointed at Qin Feng's nose and berated him with a pained expression.
Qin Feng suppressed his bleeding heart again: "Uncle Wang, that's exactly what I'm planning to use. My family has run taverns for generations, and this piece of rosewood is a family heirloom. It's perfect for a signboard." "
Now that the family heirloom issue was brought up, Old Man Wang couldn't argue anymore. After all, it belonged to someone else, and they could use it however they wanted. But the thought of using such precious sandalwood for the signboard of this little tavern made his heart ache so much he could hardly breathe!
Xue Lingyun glanced at Qin Feng, who seemed unmoved by the money, and thought to herself, 'Has this guy changed his ways? He's using something so precious for the tavern without hesitation? Doesn't he know it would fetch a lot of money if sold?
' 'Alright, use it here. Where's the calligraphy? Take it out.' Old Man Wang clutched his chest, trying to keep his eyes off the table.
'Uncle Wang, the calligraphy is on the table, it's the big scroll next to the sandalwood. Just open it.'" "
Qin Feng is the epitome of tactlessness. Knowing full well that the other person doesn't want to see the sandalwood, he insists it's right next to it.
So Qin Feng got a long, furious tirade from Old Wang, his face covered in spittle, and he couldn't even wipe it off.
Old Wang placed the large scroll on another table and called Xue Lingyun over to help open it.
As the scroll was slowly unrolled, Old Wang's eyes widened.
The characters on it were simply too beautiful, as if they possessed a soul of their own!
Graceful as a dragon, elegant as a startled swan!
These were the two words Old Wang could think of!
On the entire scroll, the three large characters 'Jiu Xian Ju' (酒仙居, meaning 'Wine Immortal Residence') stretched across the center, the brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes..." The calligraphy was completed in a single stroke, as if a banished immortal were truly there,
wielding his brush. To the lower right of the three characters "酒仙居" (Jiu Xian Ju, meaning "Wine Immortal Abode") were several lines of elegant and refined small characters, rendered with light ink, the brushstrokes free and unrestrained, flowing continuously.
The entire scroll, large and small characters alike, seemed to form a unified whole, exuding a carefree and unrestrained joy, as if one could casually relax on a couch.
Old Wang's eyes were glued to the work. He had never seen such elegant calligraphy before. In all his years of carving, he had carved works by contemporary calligraphers, but none could compare to this piece before him!
Letting out a long breath, Old Wang stood up, the wrinkles on his face seeming to slowly smooth out.
"Young friend," he said, "I take back what I just said. Only that ancient piece of sandalwood could be worthy of such calligraphy. I just wonder which master it is; this running script is so similar to Wang Xizhi's."
Faced with this question, Qin Feng naturally brought out his family's secret manual once again...
Old Man Wang wasn't easily fooled, and seeing that Qin Feng wouldn't explain himself, he gave up. "
Young friend, sandalwood is a hardwood, and I didn't expect you to carve such a large plaque, so I didn't bring the appropriate tools. A plaque of this size needs to be taken to my house; that's where I'll find the right tools. What do you think?"
"No problem, Uncle Wang, I'll take it to your house!" Qin Feng nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Seeing Qin Feng's attitude, Old Man Wang immediately thought highly of him. The price of these two items combined was astronomical, but the other party agreed without any hesitation.
"Young friend, you're so straightforward. Alright, come and pick it up in three days. I'll get it done quickly for you." Qin
Feng naturally didn't hesitate; this was something from the system, and he couldn't sell it even if he kept it.
Old Wang, an impatient man, immediately called for a car after they finished discussing things. Encountering such a large piece of ancient sandalwood and such calligraphy at his age made him feel incredibly excited; he had to hurry back to take a good look.
The car arrived quickly, and the driver and Qin Feng struggled to lift it into the car.
Old Wang hurried to the car and urged Xue Lingyun to get in quickly.
"Qin Feng, why do I feel like you've become a different person?" Xue Lingyun replied, then looked at Qin Feng with a puzzled expression.
"No, Lingyun, look, I'm still Qin Feng." Qin Feng chuckled.
Seeing that familiar smirk, Xue Lingyun burst out laughing. That's right, no matter what, he was still Qin Feng, her old friend; there was nothing to doubt.
Qin Feng helped Xue Lingyun into the car and instructed, "Let me know when you get home."
Xue Lingyun nodded obediently, "Okay, you should go home now."
Old Wang, standing nearby, couldn't wait any longer: "You two, there's plenty of time later, are you ever going to stop dawdling?" Xue
Lingyun stuck out her tongue, smiled playfully, and closed the car door.
Qin Feng turned and went back into the tavern. To the right of the hall was a door leading to two cubicles, one large and one small. The large one had a double bed, and the small one had a single bed—the cozy home of their family of three.
Lying on his small bed, Qin Feng rested his head on his hands, staring at the ceiling. Everything had happened so fast today. After the commotion, a sense of loneliness washed over him.
"System, are you still there?"
"Host, the system is always here, but please don't ask these strange questions, thank you!"
In an instant, the loneliness Qin Feng had been cultivating vanished, leaving only the thought of wanting to die with the system.
Exhausted from the day, Qin Feng quickly fell asleep on the bed. Although he felt very hungry, he had absolutely no desire to eat at this time.
Half-asleep, she felt her phone ring. Never mind, sleeping was the priority.
In a luxurious villa in the suburbs, Xue Lingyun stared wide-eyed at her phone. How dare this guy not reply to her message?