Chapter 1221: The Battle of Calligraphy
Wen Xinya made her way down the porch and returned to her seat before winking at Ye Feiyu.
2 minutes and 20 seconds!
84 moves!
Everyone was astonished.
The judge explained the game to everyone before saying, “Miss Wen and Miss Du have both showcased their impeccable chess-playing skills, especially Miss Wen, who has amazing talent in chess. Her strategies, setups, and moves are all very interesting. Please have a round with me when we have the opportunity to do so.”
The judge’s words were like a tossed stone that raised a thousand ripples. By inviting Wen Xinya to a round, the judge was showing his approval of Wen Xinya’s chess-playing skills. Does that mean that Wen Xinya is just a skilled as that judge in playing chess? she wondered.
That was utterly astonis.h.i.+ng.
Wen Xinya rose from her seat and said humbly, “Thank you for the compliment, Teacher. It’d be my honor to receive some guidance from you.”
The owner of Boyu Pavilion laughed out loud and said in a mellow voice, “You seem to have really inherited Old Mr. Mo’s chess-playing skills. You’re different from Old Mr. Mo’s daughter.”
Wen Xinya felt a little awkward because she understood exactly what the owner meant.
Her grandmother was horrible at chess and had poor chess ethics while her mother had good chess ethics but was mediocre in terms of skill…
At this moment, Wen Xinya did not realize that she had inherited those impeccable skills.
Wen Xinya’s skills earned her plenty of praises and the other heiresses were all shocked and green with envy.
They envied Wen Xinya for her talent and were jealous of her for having an influential grandfather like Old Mr. Mo. There were even some who had begun discussing and gossiping.
After hearing her words, Du Ruoxin humphed coldly and said, “She may be Old Mr. Mo’s granddaughter, but she might not really be a talented lady who’s proficient in all four arts. Wisdom and talent play a huge part too. Instead of being all bitter and jealous, you people might as well shut up and make up for your own shortcomings with hard work.”
Du Ruoxin’s words were shrewd and vicious. Of course, she was also hinting at something.
The ladies who were gossiping amongst themselves turned red with embarra.s.sment and were all speechless. The rest then glanced at Xia Ruya.
Xia Ruya had been Old Mr. Mo’s granddaughter for twelve years.
Did she lack wisdom or talent?
Xia Ruya was attacked for nothing. She turned pale at the instant that she sensed everyone staring at her with looks of disdain, disgust, and apprehension. She wished she could dig a hole and jump into it to hide herself.
She cursed Du Ruoxin in her heart and developed a strong sense of resentment towards her. At the same time, she also utterly detested Wen Xinya. If it weren’t because of Wen Xinya, she wouldn’t have had to suffer that humiliation.
Lin Yingxin was filled with an inexplicable and complicated mix of emotions. She was best at playing the zither but was poor in chess. Wen Xinya had earned plenty of praise for her skills, and if she were to fail in beating Wen Xinya at chess, it would be difficult for her to gain a better reputation.
The gala resumed regardless of their thoughts.
Perhaps because Wen Xinya’s talent had created a lively atmosphere, Ye Feiyu could not help but feel a little tempted. She went on stage to perform calligraphy and wrote some Chinese characters with a brush.
She wrote a line from a poem about cotton rose hibiscuses. The strength of each stroke mattered greatly in calligraphy, and they could all tell from Ye Feiyu’s words that she was skilled in calligraphy.
Next, Ye Feiyu then held onto the brush and winked at Wen Xinya. “Please guide me along, Miss Wen.”
Wen Xinya chuckled in her heart and stood up candidly. She then walked towards the porch and wrote some characters.
Wen Xinya had written a line from the same poet but in the Mao calligraphic style. The strokes were harsher and more compact. She was skilled in her own way.
The two of them held each other’s gaze smilingly.
Ye Feiyu was well known for her impeccable calligraphy skills, just like Du Ruoxin was known for her skills in chess. There was no clear winner between her and Wen Xinya.
Wen Xinya had showcased her talents in zither and chess as well. Since they each had their own strengths, the guests could not help but wonder if the gala could go on.
Everyone was looking forward to it.
One of the judges walked away and hung the pieces written by Wen Xinya and Ye Feiyu on one of the pillars of the porch, so as to display them to everyone. “Miss Ye’s Yan calligraphic style is graceful and refined with thick strokes. Clearly, she has a good foundation in Calligraphy. It’s full of a commanding aura and vigor. Excellent!”
He then commented on Wen Xinya’s calligraphy. “Ever since history, the Mao Calligraphic style is known to be harsh and defined. It’s a style that’s rarely seen nowadays. Miss Wen’s strokes are cla.s.sic and defined. She is indeed proficient in calligraphy and her strokes are all strong and domineering. Frankly speaking… it’s my first time seeing a girl writing in such a domineering calligraphy style.”
The judge sang praises of their pieces but kept them in suspense, for he did not reveal the winner.
The ladies were already in awe of Wen Xinya’s and Ye Feiyu’s calligraphy skills and they desperately wanted to know who the winner was.
The eagerness they felt was akin to that of what one would feel when a commercial break interrupted the revelation of the results during an exciting televised contest. It was also like the feeling one would get when a blackout occurred when they were in the midst of watching an interesting television drama. Of course, it was also similar to the feeling of seeing the words “To be continued…” at the end of an exciting chapter of an interesting novel.
The cliffhanger caused anxiety to arouse within everyone.
Someone asked, “They each have their own strengths in calligraphy, so who’s the winner?”
Next, another chimed in. “Yeah, who’s the winner? Teacher, stop keeping us in suspense and let us know the answer!”
“Teacher, is it really fun to keep us in suspense?”
They began gossiping amongst themselves after being denied an answer. However, there were differing opinions and no one could decide.
Although Old Mr. Mo was an esteemed figure of the intellectual world, the Ye Family was not too far behind either. The Ye Family was known to have the most scholars and they had also secured a footing in Capital city. The education received by their descendants were also impeccable. Hence, it was rather difficult to decide on a winner.