Chapter 75: Carving a Seal

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Carving a Seal

The brilliance of the book *Logic of Politics* lay in the fact that it was not only a work of political science but also a theoretical study of Karl Marxism. Moreover, it comprehensively and systematically presented the political principles of Karl Marxism. Considering the historical background in which the author wrote it, it could easily be called a monumental work in theoretical studies.

What did it mean to focus on principles? It meant providing a theoretical articulation that grasped the very essence of things and phenomena. Anyone uninterested in this field would probably get a headache just glancing at it, and even Chen Jingle fared little better. Just reading the author’s note alone required him to scrutinize every single word, leaving him stuck on those pages for quite a while.

"No wonder netizens say both its recommendation rating and its difficulty level are five stars," he murmured.

With purely theoretical texts like this, merely swapping the word order—or adding or removing a single word—could completely alter the meaning. It was entirely different from reading web novels, so he had to repeatedly verify his understanding of the text.

The book was a whopping 532 pages long. Even with the system’s assistance, he felt it would take him an eternity to finish. He rubbed the space between his eyebrows in agony, a dull ache throbbing in his head. He wondered who on earth had ever claimed that liberal arts had no barrier to entry.

[After-school reading time is over. Let’s stop here for today. The smart little Chen Jingle has done a great job. Next up is bedtime. Only with adequate sleep can you guarantee a healthy growth and development rate.]

It wasn’t until the system’s notification chimed that Chen Jingle realized it was already 10:00 PM. He had spent over two hours tonight entirely focused on dissecting the contents of this book. Even so, he was nowhere near finished; he had barely made it through a third of the text.

The ideological and political concepts that most people encountered during their student days were merely the shallow, easily digestible portions of this book. One could only imagine the difficulty of its advanced sections.

Chen Jingle let out a long sigh. "I chose this path myself, so I have to walk it to the end, even if I have to drag myself on my knees. If I hadn’t been so overconfident earlier and had just followed a steady pace, I wouldn’t be suffering like this now."

Of course, with great difficulty came great rewards. As long as he could understand it, he would be adding a crucial puzzle piece to the construction of his own ideological framework. If he could thoroughly master it, the benefits would be even more profound.

He went to the bathroom to wash up and got ready for bed. As he lay down, for some unknown reason, his mind drifted back to the topic he had previously discussed with Liang City.

"System, tell me, is there any way to completely bypass the dating phase and jump straight into marriage, all while ensuring the partner is exactly my type?"

[Is little Chen Jingle feeling lonely?]

"...No. I just want to discuss it with you as an academic question."

[It is theoretically possible, but not recommended in practice. A stable, long-lasting, and happy marriage must be a mutual endeavor requiring rigorous screening. Dating is an indispensable stage of life. It is a crucial process for both parties to understand each other’s personalities, lifestyle habits, and values. Because these factors dictate the quality of life after marriage, I do not suggest bypassing this phase.]

"But didn’t many from the older generation get married after meeting just once on a blind date?"

[That is why their marital relationships are abnormal; they are special products of their era. Many of them are not happy in their marriages. They simply choose not to divorce due to various limiting circumstances.]

He was amazed at how bold the system was to state that so bluntly.

However, it did make sense. At the very least, this was true for many people he had observed. Back in those days, getting a divorce was considered highly shameful, especially in rural areas.

"What do you think is the most important thing for two people to be together?"

[Everyone’s situation is different, so the answers vary. I cannot provide a definitive response.]

Chen Jingle blinked. "Then what do you think is the most important trait in a significant other for *me*?"

This time, the system took a rather long time to process.

[It should be intellectual resonance.]

Chen Jingle was quite surprised by this answer, but upon careful reflection, it really did suit his style.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Why am I overthinking this? Things will sort themselves out when the time comes. Time to sleep! Oh, right, I want to listen to *Grandma’s Bridge*. Is that okay?"

[Of course.]

Accompanied by the system’s gentle singing, Chen Jingle’s messy thoughts about his studies and romantic prospects were gradually soothed and calmed.

"If only the system’s singing could be played out loud," he muttered sleepily. "I could open a hotel catering specifically to insomniacs..."

Harboring such bizarre thoughts, his breathing soon steadied into a peaceful rhythm.

[Good night.]

When he woke up the next day, Chen Jingle stuck to his routine and headed to Teacher College for a morning run.

The three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday had flown by in a flash. With classes resuming today, he could clearly feel the surge of returning students. Some, who had likely taken red-eye trains back, were dragging bulky suitcases across the campus early in the morning. Watching this familiar scene unfold as a mere bystander, he couldn’t help but sigh again at how great it was to be young.

Aside from his regular classes today, he had some actual business to attend to. He needed to find someone to carve a seal for him.

In traditional arts, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving were inseparable. Typically, a piece of calligraphy or a painting wouldn’t be complete without a stamped seal alongside the main subject and the signature.

Wu Changshuo, one of the four great masters of the Shanghai School during the late Qing Dynasty, once said, "Calligraphy, painting, and seal carving are forged in the same furnace."

Within a square inch of stone, the carving knife would move with the grace of a dragon.

If given the chance in the future, Chen Jingle might study the art of seal carving, but not right now. He simply had too much to learn at the moment, so seal carving would have to wait. For now, he would just pay someone to carve one for him to make do.

Seals were mainly divided into two categories: name seals and leisure seals. Name seals were self-explanatory, while leisure seals included opening seals, border seals, corner seals, and waist seals. Each type could be further subdivided by content, but the details were too complex to delve into. On personal works, any seal other than the name seal was basically considered a leisure seal.

Then, there were also collector’s seals, which were used by appraisers and collectors. The most notorious figure in this regard was a certain emperor known as the ’Old Man of the Ten Perfect Victories.’ He had been so obsessed with stamping his collector’s seal on every famous painting and calligraphy piece he laid eyes on that some masterpieces actually dropped in value simply because his seals marred them.

After doing some light cleaning around the house, Chen Jingle went out again. He eventually found a seal-carving shop tucked away in a narrow alley on an old street.

A quick glance at the storefront revealed it was clearly a relic from the mid-twentieth century. The exterior plaster wall had peeled and been patched up multiple times, and the interior was rather dim. The whole place looked dangerously close to being condemned.

"Hello, I’d like to get a seal carved, please."

The shop owner was an elderly man with thinning hair and reading glasses, likely over sixty years old.

"What kind do you want carved?" the old man asked.

"A Qingtian stone name seal will do. Small Seal Script, with the characters engraved in intaglio."

There were many types of stone suitable for seal carving. As one of the top four seal stones in the country, Qingtian stone was known for its warm texture, vibrant colors, unique patterns, and moderate hardness. Most importantly, it was affordable and perfectly met the needs of ordinary calligraphy enthusiasts.

"Thirty yuan," the owner quoted. "Comes with a free ink pad and a tassel. Write down your name."

"Sure." Chen Jingle scanned the QR code to pay and jotted his name down on a blank piece of paper on the desk.

One shouldn’t view seals as overly prestigious or inaccessible. Aside from a few works by famous masters, the value of a seal was largely determined by the material of the stone itself—such as Bloodstone or Tianhuang stone.

Chen Jingle had no interest in fancy stones; as long as it worked as a seal, he was fine with it. If not for the fact that a makeshift turnip seal couldn’t be preserved and carried around long-term, he would have just carved one himself and called it a day.

He practiced calligraphy purely out of personal interest. It was only because someone actually liked his work that he was willing to stamp a seal on it to prove it was his; otherwise, he was just writing for fun.