The capital city is a place where hidden talents abound. An old man walking casually on the street may transform into the head of a military region in an instant; the true identity of an old lady crossing the road may shock you.
In this capital city with infinite possibilities, in addition to the famous families that everyone knows about, there are also some invisible families. Although these families are not as famous as the famous families in Beijing, their foundation and heritage are no worse than those of the famous families, and may even be better.
The Zhong family is one of these invisible aristocratic families. The host of the banquet, Zhong Yitian, although not as famous as my grandfather, his status and influence in the literary world cannot be underestimated. He focuses on historical research and has achieved remarkable results over the years. Compared with my grandfather who is famous for his teaching and has many students all over the world, he is more pragmatic, and his research results can always show the splendid culture of a certain period of ancient times to the world.
Grandpa, in his words and deeds, highly praised Zhong Yitian.
The Zhong family’s birthday party was held in a manor. Wen Xinya handed the invitation to the doorman, who immediately bent down and invited her into the manor.
On the lintel of the manor entrance hangs a lacquer-carved plaque with the words "德馨流芳" inscribed on it. The words, written in the willow style, are majestic and solid, with an antique elegance that has aged over the years, as well as the elegance that comes from the polish of wind and frost. They are even more profound than Si Yiyan's writing.
There was a long table at the door, and every guest who came in would leave their name and birthday gift on the table. Next to the table sat a young man about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a black suit, white shirt and a tie. It was obvious at first glance that he was a descendant of the Zhong family.
Wen Xinya walked over.
The young man saw her and smiled politely: "Guest, please leave your gift and write your name here."
Wen Xinya nodded, handed the birthday gift to the young man with a smile, then picked up the brush on the table, dipped it in ink, and wrote her name on the snow-white strip of rice paper.
As her fruitful name Liuti appeared on the paper, she sensitively felt that the young man looked at her twice more.
Wen Xinya smiled at him faintly, turned and walked into the banquet hall.
What she didn't know was that her faint smile, like the graceful white flowers dotted on the branches, brought with it such pure and innocent beauty that the man could not help but follow her back until her figure disappeared around the corner.
The banquet hall was decorated in an elegant style, with small palace lanterns densely distributed around the walls. Hanging on the high ceiling was a huge white jadeite gilded silk lantern with five bats offering longevity. Imitating the exquisite craftsmanship of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the bats on the five corners were exquisitely and delicately carved. The ten eyes of the five bats were all equal-sized luminous pearls, and the bats held crystal-clear colored glaze tassels in their mouths. At this time, the palace lantern was emitting a dazzling light, illuminating the banquet hall brightly.
Wen Xinya immediately saw the old man of the Zhong family, who was chatting and laughing with the guests. He was wearing a maroon longevity robe, his hair was cut very short, and he exuded a spirit of vigor and vitality.
Wen Xinya walked over slowly and calmly: "Hello, Grandpa Zhong, I am Wen Xinya. Grandpa has something to do today and cannot attend your birthday party, so he specially asked me to come and give you a gift. I wish you a long life and happiness as vast as the East Sea."
After hearing Wen Xinya's self-introduction, everyone looked at her with a hidden scrutiny. During this period, Mr. Mo often brought his granddaughter out to walk around in circles, and everyone knew it clearly. This meant that Mr. Mo recognized this granddaughter.
But I didn't expect that Mr. Mo would let his granddaughter attend Mr. Zhong's banquet and present a gift on his behalf. This shows how much Mr. Mo values her.
"He hasn't attended my birthday party for many years, and this year he actually found a spokesperson for himself. Hahaha! Not bad, not bad." Zhong Yitian's gaze fell on Wen Xinya's face. Unlike those people's subtle gazes, his gaze was much more straightforward and natural.
The Wen family has found its real eldest daughter. This matter has long been spread in the circle, so he naturally knew about it. However, when he heard that she had been wandering around on the streets for fifteen years, he felt sorry for Old Mo. But now he saw that she had an elegant temperament, her every move was dignified, her every word was calm, her calm eyes were clear and bright, and she was obviously a good child with a good heart. She had vaguely shown the charm of Mo Yatou when she was young, but those calm eyes revealed a tenacity and calculation, which Mo Yatou did not have.
Wen Xinya just smiled faintly and didn't respond.
Zhong Yitian happily called a junior over and said, "Bring me the jade brush from my study."
The younger generation was greatly surprised, because that jade tube goat-hair brush was an antique from the late Qing Dynasty, very valuable and a rare good brush, which grandpa had always treasured.
Zhong Yitian looked at Wen Xinya lovingly: "I heard from your grandfather that you are learning Liu style. The jade tube sheep hair is both soft and hard, which complements the Liu style."
Wen Xinya saw the younger generation's surprised expression and knew that this gift was not insignificant. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Zhong. However, since you are the birthday boy today, only we, the younger generation, can present you with gifts. How can you give a gift to the younger generation? When I go back, my grandfather will definitely say that I don't know etiquette."
Zhong Yitian smiled more happily: "For so many years, only your grandfather has given gifts to my children. I finally have the opportunity to give a gift to his descendants. This gift... must be given!"
Wen Xinya knew from Grandpa Zhong's words that he had a good relationship with Grandpa. Seeing that she couldn't refuse the gift, she simply agreed generously: "Thank you, Grandpa Zhong. If Grandpa says that I don't know etiquette, you have to speak up for me!"
Such words, neither humble nor overbearing, revealed a sense of intimacy, which made Zhong Yitian more satisfied with her: "I collected this pen in my early years. Many younger generations in my family were reluctant to give it to me. I didn't expect that this pen was prepared for you."
Wen Xinya couldn't help but scolded: "Grandpa Zhong said it as if I had been thinking about your jade pen and sheep's hair brush all along."
The Zhong family is a prosperous family, but for several generations, there have been more men than women. In this generation, there is not even a girl. Zhong Yitian looked at Wen Xinya and liked her from the bottom of his heart: "What do you mean by caring about her? Things should be given to the right person. I felt that we were compatible when I saw you. Who else should I give it to if not you?"
Wen Xinya found that Grandpa Zhong had a very cheerful and generous personality. No wonder her grandfather valued him so much: "I heard from my grandfather that Grandpa Zhong's Liu style calligraphy is full of essence. The plaque "Virtue and Fragrance" at the entrance must have been written by Grandpa Zhong!"
Zhong Yitian had not expected that she would actually notice these things, and he became more and more satisfied with her: "It's just a casual work, and the younger generation will frame it and hang it on the door lintel."