Li Yang casually looked around. The scenery was all traditional Chinese landscape paintings, and the items were all classical things. There wasn't a single Western item in sight.
Li Yang's eyes paused, suddenly settling on a piece of calligraphy. Four lines of poetry were written on it in a flowing, elegant style.
A tree without branches faces the north wind; ten years of mourning tell of heroes. In the end, all worldly affairs are but dreams; why must a man strive for ultimate success? A stroke of wild cursive script, vigorous and unrestrained, is truly remarkable.
Li Yang was a little stunned. Damn, this guy's calligraphy is not bad. It's comparable to his own!
Seeing Li Yang staring intently at the calligraphy, Zhao Lihua asked curiously, "What's wrong? Can you understand it? What characters are written?"
She was focused on studying, and high school was so tiring, plus she had to be a class leader and run the school newspaper. Although she loved classical literature, cursive script was too specialized for her; she hadn't studied it before, and it wasn't practical either!
"You don't recognize him?" Li Yang asked, amused.
How could he not recognize someone with a father who was also a classical Chinese literature student? He also understood why Zhao Lihua loved literature so much, and why Zhao Yunlong didn't care about her running the school newspaper in high school—they were both pretentious intellectuals!
No wonder Zhao Lihua possesses not only an air of nobility but also an elegant demeanor befitting a lady, making her all the more noble and deserving of the title of school beauty.
"Speak!" Zhao Lihua glared angrily. How dare they mock her? They're asking for it!
"This is composed of lines from two ancient poets: the first two lines are by Gao Qi, and the last two lines are by Luo Yin."
Originally, both of their poems were unremarkable, but after this connection, the effect was abrupt, and the momentum suddenly soared, becoming far more impressive than before! Li Yang said casually.
He had even seen it in the calligraphy of the great leader Chairman Mao, a reflection on his life's achievements.
At this moment, Zhao Yunlong, who had gone to fetch the tea-making tools, came over. Seeing the two chatting so enthusiastically, he asked curiously, "What are you talking about? Why are you having so much fun?"
"Let's talk about that calligraphy. Weren't you always so smug that I couldn't understand it? Now that someone can understand it, let's see how you can still be so cocky!" Zhao Lihua didn't care about her father's face or status at all and directly attacked him.
Zhao Yunlong glanced at her helplessly, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he looked at Li Yang with curiosity and said, "I'm not curious that you know 'Dream of the Red Chamber.' Reading the Four Great Classical Novels isn't anything special for high school students these days."
"But I'm a little surprised that you know cursive script. So it seems you also know calligraphy? What do you think of this piece of calligraphy?" Zhao Yunlong slowly tidied up the things in his hands and said to Li Yang.
Li Yang had long seen through his thoughts. Damn it, isn't this what your grandson wrote? You want to hear my flattery?
“I don’t know much about calligraphy, but I’ve seen this line of poetry that Chairman Mao once wrote in some books. This piece of calligraphy is very well done, with excellent structure and spirit. Although it doesn’t quite reach the boldness and strength of Chairman Mao’s work, it is still very impressive in terms of artistic conception, which shows that this person’s calligraphy is of a very high standard.” Li Yang stared at the calligraphy with a serious expression and said sincerely.
Zhao Lihua curled her lip in disdain at Li Yang, thinking, "You're really good at flattering people!" But in her heart, she was quite pleased and satisfied with Li Yang's cleverness.
Sure enough, Zhao Yunlong was in a great mood after hearing Li Yang's words and chuckled. He picked up a set of Kung Fu tea utensils and began to tidy them up.
The small red clay stove was lit, and the water began to boil.
"I wrote those words. Hehe! The signature below is my pseudonym." Zhao Yunlong admitted with a smile.
Li Yang was secretly delighted. "Heh heh, that's exactly why I said that." However, the old man's calligraphy was indeed quite good.
You even have a nickname? You're acting like a bandit leader. I'll make up a nickname for myself someday.
Chapter 244: So wet!
As he spoke, the water began to boil, making a sound. Zhao Yunlong suddenly stopped what he was doing, staring intently at the clay pot filled with water. After a moment, the sound of the water gradually subsided, and Zhao Yunlong picked up the clay pot and poured hot water over the purple clay teapot and teacups.
Then he placed the clay pot on the stove, stretched out a piece of white paper, poured out a tea leaf, and began to select it with great concentration, his movements meticulous and very serious.
Li Yang couldn't help but maliciously speculate whether this guy was in bed with the same expression, concentrating intently and meticulously kneading Zhao Lihua's mother's breasts and rubbing her breasts.
It's a pity that Zhao Lihua's mother died too young; otherwise, we could have gotten a glimpse into her heart and seen if she was as we thought!
The entire tea-brewing process is quite intricate. Even the method of covering the teapot after brewing seems to involve a special technique. After covering the teapot, boiling water is poured over it with a strainer to scald the cups. After scalding the cups, the water is poured into the tea rinse bowl before the actual tea brewing begins. The method of sprinkling the tea is likely also extremely particular. After sprinkling the tea, the next step is to enjoy the tea.
Li Yang was dazzled by what he saw, but he had already memorized the process clearly, including the changes in heat and other details. If he were to personally handle the task, aside from being a little rusty, he would definitely follow the procedures flawlessly.
Given time, he will be no less capable than Zhao Yunlong.
"Try it." Zhao Yunlong poured a small cup for each person after brewing the tea and said with a smile.
Zhao Lihua took a glass and began to drink it with great enjoyment.
But Li Yang almost spat it out after taking a sip. Damn, so many people like this kind of tea? It's so bitter it's killing me!
Li Yang didn't dare to spit it out. Damn, wouldn't that be slapping Zhao Yunlong in the face and making himself seem tasteless and lacking in class?
Li Yang, however, swallowed the tea with a look of utter enjoyment. Zhao Lihua, standing to the side, also seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. Zhao Yunlong, however, remained indifferent, clearly having drunk too much and anticipating the taste.
"It tastes good, doesn't it?" Zhao Lihua said with a mischievous smile.
"Hmm. This water should only exist in heaven; how often can one drink it on earth!" Li Yang exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to Zhao Lihua's teasing.
"Hehe, this Kung Fu tea is a bit bitter the first time you drink it, but you'll get used to it. Lihua complained about it at first, but now she likes it too." Zhao Yunlong didn't question whether Li Yang was telling the truth or not; he just seemed to be in a good mood.
Li Yang glanced at Zhao Lihua, thinking that this girl had much better taste than him, but she was just an ordinary person.
Zhao Lihua playfully stuck out her tongue and glared at Li Yang, looking incredibly cute. Li Yang's heart raced at the sight.
"This tea is top-grade Tieguanyin. Besides the tea leaves, the water is also important when brewing tea. This water is spring water. What do you think?" Zhao Yunlong continued to show off his extensive knowledge of tea.
Li Yang nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad."
“This water is better than what is described in the Classic of Tea. Lu Yu’s statement is not comprehensive; it only represents one aspect.”
Zhao Yunlong dealt with these guys, but he still wouldn't let Li Yang off the hook. Damn, it seems there's still another hurdle to overcome.
Bring it on! I'll take it all!
"Li Yang, judging from your speech, you are clearly very knowledgeable and skilled in martial arts. You are a rare talent. I wonder if you have any knowledge of traditional Chinese culture?" Zhao Yunlong asked Li Yang another question.
Damn it, do you think I'm afraid of you?