CH 32

Chapter 32: Painting

Zhou Xuan smiled.

He didn’t pay any attention to Tang Yuyan.

When it was time to give a gift, he would naturally play. Now, there was no need to explain too much to this little girl.

“Eh… Eh…!”

“Why did this guy just leave!”

Tang Yuyan was waiting for Zhou Xuan to explain to her.

He didn’t expect Zhou Xuan to turn around and leave, making her stomp her feet.

With her looks and family background, it would be difficult for other men to strike up a conversation with her, so she didn’t care about those men.

She didn’t expect to be ignored by others.

—

After Zhou Xuan left Tang Yuyan’s side, he began to stroll around the gathering.

In a long corridor, Zhou Xuan suddenly saw a painting hanging on a white wall.

“Five cows?” Zhou Xuan blinked.

This painting was very ancient and didn’t look like a modern painting. Zhou Xuan couldn’t appreciate it.

However, Zhou Xuan could guess from the hanging position that this painting should be very precious. It was only put up for decoration on Bai Mingyue’s birthday.

[You stopped to look at the painting and obtained the ability to appreciate antique calligraphy and painting. Level: Elementary!]

“Sure enough, even if I look at a painting, I can gain new abilities.” Zhou Xuan smiled.

His heart skipped a beat. When he looked at the painting on the wall again, his senses changed.

The originally stiff and old-fashioned style had a different charm.

Zhou Xuan couldn’t help being immersed in the brushwork. It was as if through this painting, he could see how confident the author was.

Zhou Xuan couldn’t help showing admiration from the bottom of his heart.

“Five Ox Painting!” This time, Zhou Xuan revealed the original name of the painting.

This ‘Five Ox Painting’ was a work of Han Yu in the Tang Dynasty. It was also the earliest paper and silk painting with cattle as its theme.

It was a national treasure.

In the painting, the five cows were lined up in a row. They lowered their heads to eat grass, raised their heads, turned their heads back and licked their tongues. They slowly walked forward and rubbed their teeth against each other.

These were all knowledge brought to Zhou Xuan by his ability to appreciate antiques and calligraphy works.

The more he looked, the more fascinated Zhou Xuan became.

He didn’t even notice that at some point, a silver-haired old man and a middle-aged man with a big back and a meticulously combed hair stood beside him.

The middle-aged man’s superior aura could not be concealed at all, but he looked as if he respected the silver-haired old man. He was slightly half a step behind and was extremely respectful.

They had just walked out of the villa.

Originally, he wanted to go to the manor, but when the old man saw someone looking at the painting, he walked over.

“Young man, you know how to paint too?” The old man saw that Zhou Xuan was engrossed and couldn’t help asking.

“Yes…”

Zhou Xuan subconsciously replied. He was stunned for a moment before noticing the old man and middle-aged man beside him.

Zhou Xuan wasn’t a fool. He could see that these two people’s temperament was extraordinary. He looked away and nodded. “I understand a bit.”

The old man’s eyes were as bright as a torch. He had watched countless people throughout his life.

It was obvious that Zhou Xuan’s admiring gaze wasn’t fake.

However, when he saw the young student, he still couldn’t help but want to test him.

“Then, what do you think is the good thing about Five Ox Pictures?” the old man asked with a smile.

The smile on his face was kind. It could be seen that even if Zhou Xuan couldn’t answer, he wouldn’t ask more. It was just a temporary thought.

After all, young people nowadays were too impulsive. There weren’t many young people who could calm down and appreciate the ancient painting, let alone understand it.

The middle-aged man didn’t interrupt but looked at Zhou Xuan.

He held a high position and had seen countless people.

However, he had to admit that regardless of appearance or temperament, this young man was extraordinary. He was definitely a figure.

It was just that he had never seen him before.

“What do you think?”

Zhou Xuan knew that these two people weren’t ordinary people but he believed that his future achievements would only be higher than theirs.

Therefore, he did not have any stage fright and only treated them as his equal. He calmly replied, “In this ‘Five Ox Painting’, each of the five cows has a different appearance and attitude. They are combined into one painting. It looks very ordinary and there are no bright spots, but in reality, the more you look at it, the more interesting it is. It makes people linger.”

The old man and the middle-aged man nodded in agreement.

However, before they could respond, he continued, “Other than the five cows, there is only a small bush in this painting. There is no other scenery. The five can be combined into one painting, and each cow can be considered a chapter. It is a wonderful brushstroke!”

The middle-aged man had yet to speak.

The silver-haired old man’s eyes lit up. “Okay!!”

The old man looked at Zhou Xuan with admiration. “Young man, I didn’t expect you to have such a deep understanding of antique calligraphy and painting at such a young age. This view actually coincides with this old man!”

The old man reached out and stroked the frame of the painting as he sighed. “How rare!”

Behind the old man, the middle-aged man looked at Zhou Xuan with admiration.

However, it wasn’t because Zhou Xuan understood painting but because of Zhou Xuan’s attitude.

With his and the old man’s status, he had seen too many young people.

When those young people saw him, they couldn’t help but lose their composure.

Either they were careful or they were too nervous and lost their usual level.

Either they wanted to show themselves too much, or their words were wrong and lost standards.

But the young man in front of him, his expression was calm, neither servile nor overbearing, and his tone was calm and composed.

It made people feel that he was very confident, but at the same time, they did not think that he was arrogant and domineering and did not care about others.

It was really rare.

But it was unique.

After a conversation.

The old man and the middle-aged man had a high opinion of Zhou Xuan.

At this moment, Zhou Xuan shook his head and said, “This Five Ox Painting is wonderful. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the real thing!”

Zhou Xuan sighed.

Now that he understood how to appreciate ancient paintings, he truly felt a pity from the bottom of his heart.

The old man and middle-aged man couldn’t help pausing when they heard Zhou Xuan’s words.

The two of them looked at each other.

“Young man, I heard that the owner bought this painting from a famous artist. Are you saying that it isn’t real?” The middle-aged man’s eyes moved as he asked.

As for whether he was referring to himself or the old man beside him, it was unknown.

“Of course it’s not real. It’s quite obvius,” Zhou Xuan said lightly.

“Oh? Obvious?” The old man loved painting. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

Zhou Xuan looked at the old man when he heard his question.

Zhou Xuan was curious about the identities of the two people.

He didn’t need to ask. He looked over with his probing eyes.

Their names and identities appeared in his eyes.