Chapter 21 Practicing Calligraphy

Chapter 21 Calligraphy Practice

The next morning, after getting up, Jian Ru was making the bed when the Second Young Master came to help him.

"Third Sister will be leaving in a few days," Jian Ru said. "I've been thinking about what to give her as a gift."

The Second Young Master replied, "A few days ago, when Eldest Sister went out, I asked her to buy something for me. I forgot to tell you—let me show you."

He went to the cabinet and took out an embroidered cloth bag. Opening it, he pulled out an exquisite ivory comb. The handle was carved with several bamboo stalks, dyed a vibrant emerald green.

Jian Ru's eyes lit up at the sight. He took it, examining it carefully, and exclaimed, "This is clearly a fine piece! It's so beautiful."

The Second Young Master smiled, looking at him. "What do you think?" he asked.

Jian Ru nodded. "It's wonderful. Third Sister will definitely love it."

"Then, do you like it?" the Second Young Master asked.

Jian Ru was momentarily stunned, uttering a bewildered, "Huh?"

The Second Young Master chuckled. "Xiao Ru, this is for you."

Jian Ru let out another "Huh?" before the realization dawned on him. The corners of his mouth curved upward, unable to contain his joy. "Really?"

The Second Young Master nodded.

Jian Ru was so happy he began bouncing around the room. Then he ran over to Li Jintong, threw his arms around him, stood on his tiptoes, and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

The Second Young Master's eyelashes fluttered slightly. He was just about to lower his head, his hand already halfway raised, when the young man darted away like the wind to comb his hair in front of the mirror.

The Second Young Master's fingers only managed to brush the fabric of Jian Ru's robe at the back of his waist. His knuckles curled slightly, involuntarily.

He sighed softly but couldn't help smiling.

Jian Ru, facing the mirror, asked without turning around, "What about Third Sister's gift? Do we need to buy another one?"

"When I asked Eldest Sister to buy the comb, I also picked out a hairpin for her," the Second Young Master replied.

With that, Jian Ru was put at ease and stopped fretting.

After combing his hair to his satisfaction, Jian Ru turned to look at the Second Young Master and saw that he had already sat down in the armchair by the desk, practicing calligraphy. Jian Ru had laid the sheepskin Madam gave them on the chair as a cushion, making it warm and cozy for reading or writing. The white, fluffy wool made the immaculate Second Young Master look even more handsome.

Jian Ru couldn't resist walking over. He gently took a lock of the Second Young Master's long hair hanging over his shoulder—it felt cool and silky to the touch. The Second Young Master looked up at him, and Jian Ru said, "Let me comb your hair for you."

The Second Young Master smiled and didn't stop him, continuing to write.

Jian Ru took the comb and gently combed the Second Young Master's hair, occasionally toying with his fringe. He would step back to check his handiwork, then come back to continue combing and adjusting, as if playing with a doll's hair, finding everything about him simply perfect.

The Second Young Master patiently indulged him, occasionally lifting his head cooperatively to let him see.

In the room, the incense burner emitted a faint wisp of smoke. On the desk, a pot of lucky bamboo was thriving and verdant. Apart from the faint scratch of the brush moving across paper, only their breathing could be heard.

As he combed, the Second Young Master's brush paused. He looked up at Jian Ru.

Jian Ru also looked back at him.

After a moment, one lifted his chin while the other bent closer. Their eyelashes fluttered nervously, their breaths mingling. Just as they were about to touch, a rustling noise came from the doorway.

Jian Ru stiffened and turned to look. A chubby child bundled in a thick padded robe was peering into the room through the narrow crack of the door, his plump face squeezed into the gap.

Jian Ru quickly stepped back, and the Second Young Master immediately straightened up, adopting the dignified air of an uncle. He cleared his throat pointedly and picked up his brush again.

Jian Ru dashed to the door, pulled it open, and called out, "Li Xianyu, what are you doing here?"

Li Xianyu didn't forget to bow to his uncle and aunt-in-law. Once upright, he immediately began sneaking glances around. "Lit—Little Aunt, the tamarind fruit you gave me yesterday was really delicious."

Jian Ru understood at once. He found it amusing but was also annoyed that the boy had ruined the moment. Deliberately, he said, "You still want tamarind fruit, huh? Fine, but you have to give me a shoulder rub. If you do a good job, I'll give you the rest."

Upon hearing this, Li Xianyu crossed his short, chubby arms and puffed up proudly. "No one but my mother can order me around!"

"Then do you want the tamarind fruit or not?" Jian Ru asked.

Despite his young age, Li Xianyu knew how to be pragmatic. He immediately uncrossed his arms. "But since Little Aunt is so good to me, of course I'm happy to massage your shoulders!"

The Second Young Master chuckled quietly nearby. Jian Ru winked at him and sat down on the soft couch. The little chubby Li Xianyu took off his shoes, grunting with effort as he climbed onto the couch. He knelt behind Jian Ru and diligently set to work massaging his shoulders.

"If you're this eager, why didn't you come this morning?" Jian Ru asked him.

Xian Yu grumbled, "I wanted to, but the tutor said I had to finish writing two pages of big characters before I could take a break."

Jian Ru paused, surprised. "You're learning to write at such a young age?"

"More than that, Little Aunt!" Xian Yu exclaimed. "You have no idea how tough it is. Every day, I not only have to practice writing big characters but also recite texts from memory. If I can't recite them, the tutor hits my palms with a ruler."

Jian Ru let out an "Oh," momentarily lost in thought, a poorly concealed shadow of melancholy on his face.

Hearing the conversation pause, the Second Young Master turned to look. Seeing the expression on his husband's face, he paused thoughtfully. He watched for a while before turning back.

Xian Yu, after all, was just a child. After massaging for a bit, he grew impatient and leaned over Jian Ru's shoulder to study his expression.

Jian Ru snapped out of his thoughts, scooped the plump boy off, and began tickling him.

Xian Yu laughed heartily, rolling around on the couch. Then, playing cute, he climbed onto his little aunt's lap, sitting down heavily, wrapped his arms around his neck, and begged for mercy to avoid being tickled.

His small eyes sparkled as he asked, "Little Aunt, did I massage your shoulders well?"

Jian Ru said teasingly, "It was... alright."

"Then..." Xian Yu desperately winked at him and made chewing motions, making Jian Ru burst into laughter.

The Second Young Master laughed too and called for Xiao Ning to bring in the basket of tamarind fruit. Xian Yu was overjoyed.

The Second Young Master washed his hands, moved a small stool next to the couch, and sat down to peel the tamarind fruit. He fed the fruit to the two, one bite at a time, not minding the mess as he caught the seeds in his hand and tossed them into the dustpan.

With something to eat, Xian Yu sat obediently on his little aunt's lap, behaving well.

Noticing tamarind juice around Xian Yu's mouth, Jian Ru took out a handkerchief to wipe it clean.

The Second Young Master watched his slender young husband holding this chubby nephew and, lost in thought, gradually zoned out, his cheeks inexplicably flushing.

When only a small handful of tamarind fruit remained, Jian Ru wrapped them in oiled paper and told Xian Yu to take them back for Qiao Zhi.

Xian Yu repeatedly promised not to sneak any and to deliver them properly.

He added ingratiatingly, "Little Aunt, in a few days, there will be operas performed on Yuanbao Street. I'll come invite you to watch them with me!"

Yuanbao Street was the liveliest street in town. Every year around the lunar new year, opera troupes came to perform. Jian Ru had seen them before—the street was also filled with food stalls, toy sellers, monkey shows, and magic tricks, making it especially bustling.

Jian Ru was quite excited by the idea, but he knew it would be crowded and cold outside. He wasn't sure if the Second Young Master could go, and if he didn't, Jian Ru didn't want to go either. So he didn't commit, only saying, "We'll see when the time comes."

The little chubby boy toddled off.

Jian Ru closed the door and saw that the Second Young Master had returned to his desk, preparing the ink.

He was handsome, and every move he made was graceful. Jian Ru watched for a while until the Second Young Master turned and looked over, holding a brush as he asked, "Xiao Ru, would you like to give it a try?"

Jian Ru blushed, feeling embarrassed. Unusually shy, he fidgeted with his collar and said, "My handwriting isn't good, and I can't write many characters."

The Second Young Master's gaze was gentle as he said, "Don't worry, I'll teach you."

"Alright then."

Jian Ru took the brush and carefully wrote his surname stroke by stroke. Despite his earnest effort, the character "Jian" still came out rather poorly, especially when compared to the Second Young Master's writing beside it—it was almost an eyesore.

Jian Ru frowned in frustration and said, "It's so ugly."

The Second Young Master leaned in for a closer look and said, "It's not bad. Your strokes are strong and full-bodied, even better than those of someone who's practiced for years. Quite impressive."

Hearing this, Jian Ru brightened up but suspected the Second Young Master was just humoring him. "Really?" he asked.

The Second Young Master thought for a moment and said, "Let me show you something."

With that, he went over to a cabinet, opened a door, and began rummaging inside.

Curious, Jian Ru followed him.

After a short while, the Second Young Master pulled out a small box, brought it to the desk, and opened it.

Jian Ru had expected to see some treasure inside, but when he craned his neck to look, he found only a stack of yellowed papers, some with worn edges from age.

The Second Young Master spread out the stack, and Jian Ru realized they were pages of practice writing, each character written stroke by stroke, crooked and rather unattractive.

Jian Ru looked at the Second Young Master doubtfully. "Did you... write these?"

The Second Young Master nodded. "I was twelve or thirteen when I wrote these. Xian Yu, at just six years old, wrote much better than I did back then."

Jian Ru couldn't believe it. The Second Young Master smiled and explained, "I was often ill and could only attend the tutor's lessons when I felt well. Not having to practice writing or memorize texts was the only silver lining of being sick. I knew the characters and could write them, but with so little practice, they ended up like this."

"Later, as I grew older, whenever there were occasions requiring writing, I'd find excuses to avoid them. I nearly ran out of excuses. I cared about saving face back then—I thought my handwriting was too embarrassing, and people would laugh, saying, 'Second Young Master Li looks the part, but he's all show and no substance.' That's when I resolved to practice seriously." As he recalled the past, the Second Young Master shook his head with a smile.

Jian Ru had never imagined this side of the Second Young Master and stared at him with wide-eyed curiosity.

The Second Young Master lowered his head, fiddling with the papers nostalgically. "My father secretly kept these. I found them when sorting through his belongings after he passed away and stored them in this box."

He turned to his young husband and said, "If you'd like, I can teach you to read and write."

Jian Ru looked at him. "Am I capable?"

The Second Young Master nodded. "You are."

Jian Ru gritted his teeth. "Then I'll learn."

With that, he immediately sat down in a chair and patted the armchair beside him. Li Jintong sat down as well, and the two focused intently, one teaching and the other learning.

Having decided to learn to read and write, Jian Ru was determined to do it well.

Seeing him so spirited now, with none of the earlier melancholy, the Second Young Master felt happy too.