Chapter 76: The World Is Just So Small

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: The World Is Just So Small

The shop owner took the money, glanced at the name Chen Jingle had written down, and looked a bit surprised. He looked up to give him another glance before asking him to pick a stone from the pile.

Chen Jingle casually chose one of a moderate size that looked pleasing to the eye.

The owner took out his tools and got to work. Without even tracing the characters first, he brought the carving knife straight down. CHAK CHAK CHAK. He didn’t even backtrack. Chen Jingle raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"No wonder seal carving is ranked alongside calligraphy and painting. It truly is an art!"

Watching the owner’s swift, decisive, and clean movements, Chen Jingle could tell that the man was more than just a craftsman carving seals for a living. Even though he didn’t know much about seal carving himself, he felt the owner at least deserved to be called an artist.

It didn’t take long for the seal to be finished.

Chen Jingle took it and inspected the bottom. The three characters of his name, "Chen Jingle," were carved in small seal script—one large and two small.

The owner brought out some ink paste and let him test it out.

Pressing it into the paste, Chen Jingle stamped it onto the blank paper where he had written his name earlier. His very first personal seal imprint appeared. White characters on a red background—the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

"Worth every penny! Thank you, sir!" Chen Jingle was incredibly satisfied; it was practically a pleasant surprise.

The owner squeezed out a smile. "As long as you like it." He even threw in a tassel and some extra ink paste for free.

"Thanks again. Goodbye!"

"Take care."

Returning home, Chen Jingle immediately took out the two pieces of calligraphy he had written the night before last. THWACK, THWACK. He stamped his personal seal onto each of them.

A completely new sense of accomplishment welled up within him. He clicked his tongue in admiration. Was this the charm of stamping seals? No wonder Emperor Qianlong loved stamping his seals all over famous paintings.

He snapped a photo and sent it to Li Beixing. "Teacher Li, the seals are stamped. When would it be convenient for you? I can bring them over."

After a while, Li Beixing replied, "I have two classes this morning. It’ll probably have to be after 11 a.m."

Chen Jingle estimated the time. "Then I’ll arrive at the school around 11:10. Does that work?"

"Sure, just call me when you get here," she responded.

With the plan settled, Chen Jingle quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she wasn’t rushing him, these were pieces worth twenty thousand yuan; how could he not take it seriously? Since she had already paid, he definitely had to provide good after-sales service. The sooner he delivered them into her hands, the more at ease he would feel, even though it was highly unlikely she would go back on her word.

His morning system courses went on as usual. After class, Chen Jingle rode his electric scooter out, carrying the two calligraphy pieces with him as he headed toward No. 8 Middle School.

He had sent Li Beixing a message in advance. So, when he arrived at the school, stopping under the same academic building as last time, he sent another message to let her know. Li Beixing quickly poked her head out from upstairs, waved at him, and started making her way down.

"Teacher Li!" Seeing Li Beixing come downstairs, Chen Jingle waved and walked up to greet her. "Here they are. Please check them."

Li Beixing took them, flashing a carefully prepared, flawless smile. "Thank you. Thanks for making a special trip."

Chen Jingle chuckled. "It’s nothing. I should be the one thanking you. I never expected anyone would be willing to pay such a high price for my calligraphy."

He was still too thin-skinned and felt a bit awkward facing his wealthy patron. If it were anyone else, they probably would have already started kissing up to her.

Li Beixing pursed her lips into a smile. "You underestimate yourself too much. With your skills, you could absolutely submit your work to exhibitions. Participate in a few provincial or national competitions, make a name for yourself, and the value of your pieces will naturally soar."

To her surprise, Chen Jingle thought about it, then shook his head. "Forget it, that’s too much trouble."

Li Beixing froze for a moment before letting out a helpless laugh. "Alright." Everyone had their own ambitions; she couldn’t force him.

After Li Beixing unrolled the papers and confirmed there were no issues, Chen Jingle quickly bid his farewells. He had arrived in a hurry, and he left just as swiftly, coming and going like the wind.

Li Beixing had originally wanted to take the opportunity to chat a bit more, but this guy ran off after barely exchanging a few words, leaving her grumbling in her heart. "What is his deal? Am I that ugly?"

Little did she know, there were two pairs of eyes upstairs happily gobbling up the gossip. They clicked their tongues in amusement. This was his second time here, and she still claimed nothing was going on? They just wondered what exactly he was delivering.

Leaving the school, Li Beixing drove her little Audi A3 to Wenhua Road, pulling up in front of an old house with signs advertising seal carving, mounting, and custom invitations.

After parking and getting out, she called out toward a thinning-haired elderly man wearing reading glasses, who was resting with his eyes closed in a rocking chair by the door. "Uncle Huang!"

The old man opened his eyes, looking a bit dazed before hurriedly getting up. "Ah, Beixing. It’s been a while since I last saw you."

Li Beixing smiled. "It has been a while. School just started recently, so I’ve been incredibly busy."

This Uncle Huang, named Huang Huanwen, was the father of one of the girls in her high school class. There used to be the Phoenix Bookstore around here, and she would go there to read every weekend. Whenever she passed by, she would greet her classmate if she was home. It also happened that she was quite interested in Huang Huanwen’s work. After all, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving were all closely intertwined. Over time, they had become familiar with each other.

That piece of calligraphy hanging in her father’s office had also been mounted by Huang Huanwen. So, when she received Chen Jingle’s calligraphy, he was the first person that came to mind.

"What brings you here today?" Huang Huanwen asked.

Li Beixing brought out the two pieces of calligraphy. "It’s like this: a friend gifted me two pieces of calligraphy, and I want to have them mounted. One is for my dad, and the other is for me to keep. I have to trouble you with this."

"Let me take a look..."

Huang Huanwen took them and unrolled the paper. Whoa, it truly was excellent calligraphy! It was vastly superior to the works of most of those frauds currently on the market who coasted by on unearned reputations.

However, when he saw the signature, he let out a surprised hum. So that was it. No wonder he had thought the brushwork looked somewhat familiar at first glance.

Li Beixing wore a smile. "What do you think? Not bad, right?"

"Not bad, not bad at all," Huang Huanwen said, his eyes crinkling with a smile. "To reach this level of skill at his age is truly rare. I never expected a small place like Jiangbei to have such a young talent."

This time it was Li Beixing’s turn to be curious. "How can you be so certain it was written by a young person?"

Huang Huanwen laughed heartily. Pointing at the seal next to the signature, he said, "What if I told you I just carved this seal this morning?"

After saying that, he pulled a blank sheet of paper from the adjacent table, pointed to the name and the red stamp on it, and added, "Look here! Fresh off the press!"

"Huh?!" Staring at the three characters for "Chen Jingle," no matter how hard Li Beixing racked her brain, she never would have expected such a coincidence. Was the world really this small?

"He’s a nice young man," Huang Huanwen said with a teasing smile.

Li Beixing’s face instantly turned bright red. "We’re friends, just regular friends."

"Oh, that’s a bit of a pity. You should give it a try! Opportunities have to be seized with your own two hands."

"Uncle Huang, let’s just talk about the mounting," Li Beixing said, thoroughly embarrassed.

Huang Huanwen waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, what is there to talk about? Just leave it to me. Come pick it up in a couple of days."

"Alright, I’ll leave it in your hands." Li Beixing fled in a panic.

Huang Huanwen let out a wry chuckle, unable to stop himself from recalling some past memories. "In my youth, I was no stranger to wine dates and romantic encounters. Wherever there was pleasure, I was there—dressed in light furs and loose belts, riding with embroidered saddles and golden reins..."

Who didn’t have their times of youthful arrogance and high spirits? But as he looked up and caught sight of his aging reflection mirrored in the brocade screen of the main hall, he just shook his head.