How come the celestial technique I stole is so powerful?!-Chapter 92 Appreciating Paintings and Discussing Life

"The second reason is naturally money, as the saying goes, ’Man is the hero, money is the courage!’" Lin Xiaosu said, "If my family and your family become in-laws, our combined fortune would amount to over 5 billion. Think about it, how many people in Daxia can claim this figure? Which family that reaches this figure would not hold their heads high when their descendants walk out the door?"

Ding Ruoshui gently pressed her forehead and moaned, "You do understand ’average’!"

The maid behind was dumbfounded.

The lady sees the issues with such precision, this son-in-law, the thickness of his skin is really beyond imagination, oh, no, I mean, his mental quality is truly strong... free𝑤ebnovel.com

Inside the hall, the sound of the elevator gently rang and a middle-aged man came out.

This person, about in his forties or fifties, had slightly graying hair and wore glasses, looking very refined.

Lin Xiaosu and Ding Ruoshui both stood up and went to greet him.

"Dad, this is little Su."

"Hello, Uncle!" Lin Xiaosu said with a slight smile, shaking hands with this legendary figure.

Ding Lizhong looked at him and nodded slightly, "Come, let’s sit over there."

"Dad, how about we sit in the study?" Ding Ruoshui said, "He’s quite fond of calligraphy and paintings."

"Oh? It’s rare for young people to like calligraphy and paintings!" Ding Lizhong said, "I happen to have collected a painting by Han Shuchun. Do you know Han Shuchun?"

Ding Ruoshui’s heart skipped a beat.

Seems like there’s a lack of tacit understanding with Dad.

Can’t you hear the hint I gave you about going to the study?

The study is the only place in the entire villa where it’s safe to talk confidently.

And you’re just asking directly about Han Shuchun?

Han Shuchun is an ancient figure from four hundred years ago, not particularly famous in the painting circles; someone not from this field might not know him at all.

If you test him like this and he embarrasses himself, what reason do we then have to discuss serious matters in the study?

Lin Xiaosu answered straightaway: "I wonder, Uncle, whether your collection includes his early works or his later works?"

"Early works!"

"Early works are good!" Lin Xiaosu said, "Han Shuchun was different from others in the painting circle. For most, their later works are the culmination of their lifelong skills, getting better with age, but it’s the opposite for him. His early works were very fierce. In his mid-career, he fell into difficulties and realized the great life lesson that rigidity leads to destruction, causing a sudden change in his style. Although his late works look more mature, they lose his unique characteristics, thus becoming indistinct among others, which is probably the real reason for his obscurity in the painting world."

Ding Ruoshui’s eyes widened...

Did you do your homework?

Otherwise, how could you know so much about Han Shuchun?"

Ding Lizhong’s eyes brightened, "Let’s go! Let’s see it in the study..."

Collecting is his hobby.

Seeing his collections requires qualification; only those who truly understand can appreciate them.

On the second floor, the door of the study opened silently.

In front of Lin Xiaosu, the most perfect characteristics of a study appeared.

Two rows of bookshelves, all made of blackwood.

Inside the shelves were hardcover books as well as thread-bound books. These thread-bound books are extraordinary, some from a certain dynasty, where a single page could be traded for a car.

On his shelves, there were at least twenty to thirty volumes of thread-bound books.

If these thread-bound books are not intentionally aged to look antique, just these dozens of books alone are invaluable.

Inside a blackwood tube, there were about a dozen scrolls.

Ding Lizhong took out one, unrolled it, and the most conspicuous part of the painting was a long spear!

The blood-stained spear was broken in two, and the stones on the ground were distinctly outlined.

The sky was gray.

The ground was black.

A general, his face smeared with blood, his clothes tattered, the only half-drawn horse’s hoof, also broken.

Judging by the painting alone, it didn’t have much aesthetic appeal, even giving off an extremely oppressive feeling.

"Do you know what battle this painting depicts?" Ding Lizhong asked again.

Ding Ruoshui frowned.

Painting is her specialty.

She knew Han Shuchun and had seen this ’Duan Jiang map,’ but to ask which battle it depicts, she couldn’t answer either. Even the cultured celebrities hosted in Dad’s study, including masters proficient in painting, might not be able to answer this question.

If he can answer this, then it would really be something.

Lin Xiaosu said, "One particular aspect of Han Shuchun’s painting style is the extreme exaggeration of ink and brush, yet the details reveal truth. The general in this painting wears autumn clothes, yet there’s snow on the ground and faint snow mountains in the distance. It’s not winter, yet the scenery is wintry, it can only be the northern frontier in autumn. Among the seven battles that impacted him most in his life, only one matches the time and place of this painting, and that is... the Battle of Little Jin River!"

Ding Lizhong was genuinely surprised, "Professor Chen Lin from the School of Fine Arts also saw this painting; his judgment was it must be either Little Jin River or Yongmen Pass. Why did you exclude Yongmen Pass? Yongmen Pass is the battle he personally participated in and was most deeply moved by, as his elder brother died there."

"Indeed, Yongmen Pass also fits the entire scene of the battlefield, but Han Shuchun once wrote in a family letter: Yongmen Pass, where my brother’s soul was severed, and family fortunes declined, hence, my pen hesitated a thousand times, and I dared not lay down ink. He himself said, he dared not paint Yongmen Pass, so how could there be this ’Duan Jiang map’?"

Ding Ruoshui frowned, "A family letter? Where did you see this letter?"

"In that library where we met, there’s a book called ’Chronicles of Famous Figures Through the Ages,’ it’s mentioned there."

Ding Lizhong laughed heartily, "If Professor Chen Lin were here today, perhaps he’d toast to you. He studied this painting for a whole week, but unfortunately, he never saw the ’Chronicles of Famous Figures Through the Ages,’ so even he couldn’t conclude... Come, let’s look at the other ones."

Lin Xiaosu also looked at the other paintings; each one was a rare gem, and he could discuss each one thoroughly.

After going through a tube of paintings, Ding Lizhong truly regarded him as a confidant.

Ding Ruoshui, standing aside, didn’t quite know how to feel.

Is this what it means to be a detective?

To have such an encyclopedic memory?

Why is he so proficient in paintings?

Could it be because the past me sparked his interest in paintings?

Upon viewing the painting, Lin Xiaosu’s attention was drawn to a stone behind the desk...

The stone, with its odd shape, resembles an old man gazing up at the sky.

On the base, three characters: Meditator.

Lin Xiaosu circled around the stone, her expression slightly unusual.

Ding Lizhong said, "Do you also study Jade?"

Indeed, this peculiar stone is not just oddly shaped; it is unequivocally a piece of raw jadeite.

Lin Xiaosu nodded lightly: "I know a bit."

"Can you tell which mine it came from?"

"Junjiang old material, Junjiang old material is very unique; unlike other mines where the finer the shell the better, Junjiang old material needs this kind of sandstone shell, rough, dark and deep, like a black rice paste, representing a thorough internalization."

Ding Lizhong’s eyes sparkled: "Besides this, what else do you see?"

"Meditator, that’s a good name."

Ding Lizhong frowned: "Clearly, it’s looking up at the sky, is it really good to name it Meditator?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "To think with the head bowed is to think, and why isn’t it thinking when looking up? Personally, I prefer thinking while looking up."

"Why?"

"Because people, only by raising their heads, will realize their insignificance in the limitless universe. Only then can they truly step forward following the guidance of the far shore’s Milky Way."

Ding Lizhong exhaled softly: "I chose this name! This was also the true intention when I wrote these three characters!"

Those who research genetic technology, every step is untrodden by predecessors, every step is filled with unknowns, only with a mindset of ’the universe is infinite, I am but an ant,’ can one remind themselves to proceed cautiously, to avoid falling into a deep abyss...

To alert oneself!

This is the real reason this peculiar stone is placed in the study.

Ding Ruoshui’s heart skipped a beat...

She had also seen this peculiar stone...

She had once asked her dad, did you write it wrong?

Dad did not answer.

Today, she got the answer!

From her own faux boyfriend.

Just this answer, and he had already passed dad’s test.

This boyfriend, his skills in passing tests are really amazing!

Impressive, impressive!

Lin Xiaosu smiled lightly: "Uncle, how about sitting on the rooftop?"

"The rooftop? Why?"

"Because on the rooftop, uncle, you can gaze up at the sky."

Ding Lizhong laughed: "And you?"

"I can enjoy the beauty of Nanhu. Speaking of which, the best viewing platform here must be on the rooftop."

"Let’s go, shift the battlefield, to the rooftop!" Ding Lizhong was more enthusiastic than ever today.

This is probably because he’s becoming more and more fond of this son-in-law.

Atop the rooftop, there is a tea room.

With solid doors as railings and glass as the ceiling.

Exotic flowers and plants are scattered throughout; these flowers and plants are just common varieties, not genetically modified.

Ding Ruoshui personally handled the teapot, pouring tea for them both.

She seemed to really get into the role, truly treating Lin Xiaosu as her boyfriend.

Lin Xiaosu glanced around and admired the villa’s viewing platform.

In the distance are tall buildings showcasing the city’s bustling prosperity, in front is a flawless, exquisite lake.

The wind blew, bringing with it either the scent of the bustling city or of the lake, standing in this world, it was truly tranquility amidst chaos.

"Any thoughts?" Ding Lizhong asked with a slight smile.

Lin Xiaosu smiled lightly: "Uncle, I’ve heard Ruoshui mention you many times, I thought you were just a scholar engrossed in technology, I didn’t expect you to have a zest for life, even enjoying calligraphy, paintings, and Jade."

"You finally got it wrong once!" Ding Lizhong smiled lightly. "I don’t really enjoy calligraphy and Jade; for me, paintings are just to feel the historical aura, and the Jade is for alert."

"As a researcher, standing amid prosperity yet contemplating the blue ocean, observing the past while looking to the Milky Way, very well said! Constantly alerting oneself, even using Jade for alerting," Lin Xiaosu said: "...Uncle, where did you find this Jade?"

Ding Ruoshui frowned slightly...

She felt that their little boyfriend was starting to show his weaknesses.

You were discussing such high-level topics with my dad, why did you have to keep bringing up Jade?

Although Jade is valuable among the common folk, in front of someone with billions in assets, it really isn’t something impressive, don’t you know?

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