Reborn as a great painter, with a system, you can be willful

The warm afternoon light shines into the spacious study.

The tall bookshelves in natural wood color, the old-fashioned desks and floors, the snow-white walls and the gentle sunlight together create a subtle space.

On the wall opposite the desk hangs a vertical scroll painting of bamboo in ink. There is no other decoration in the entire room.

The originally simple and quiet study seemed too solemn in Liu Jie's eyes.

He looked at the owner of the study. All the pressure came from this old man.

His hair is sparse, his nose is a little fat, his eye sockets are deep, and there are age spots on his temples.

If he wasn't in this study, he would be just like an ordinary retired old man. However, Liu Jie, who knew the identity of this old man, understood the power of this old man.

Although no one responded to him while he was standing in the study, he did not dare to show any sign of abnormality.

After a while, the old man picked up a bookmark from the desk, put it in the book, and slowly closed the book.

He raised his eyebrows, moved his eyes, and looked at Liu Jie.

"Commissioner Liu, I'm sorry. I was so absorbed in reading a book just now that I couldn't bear to interrupt you. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." The old man's voice was gentle.
"Mr. Lu, you can just call me Xiao Liu." Liu Jie, who is already a certain age, blurted out.

"I'm not waiting for you, I'm learning from you. Every time I come here, I can be influenced by reading. Although I can't read, I also want to learn from you.

You like reading books. I recently bought two books. I can’t understand them myself, so I want you to take a look at them. Is it an old version? "

He took out a thread-bound book and placed it on the desk.

"Don't try to make me happy. I just treat reading as a pastime." Mr. Lu didn't even look at the book Liu Jie brought back.

"Xiao Liu, please move a chair and sit down. Don't be polite to me."

Liu Jie observed the situation and immediately moved a chair and sat down next to the desk.

Mr. Lu asked with a smile: "Is the family doing well recently? How is the child? Is he studying abroad?"

Liu Jie leaned forward and said, "Studying in the United States is not very exciting and the cost is also high."

"I remember your child is studying art?" asked Mr. Lu.

“I’m studying fashion design.”

"Oh, good. Is your partner retired?" Mr. Lu asked again.
"I haven't reached the age yet, so I retired early."

"Oh? Why did you retire?"

"There are physical reasons. Also, there is no one to supervise the child, and I was afraid that he would go astray. So after discussion, I asked my wife to step down and go over to accompany him in his studies and also supervise the child." Speaking of his family, Liu Jie's smile became more natural.

"Yes, yes, yes." Old Lu nodded: "Children's affairs are important matters. We really need to pay attention to them."

Liu Jie came with something. When he heard Mr. Lu chatting about family matters, he became anxious, but he didn't know how to get to the point, so he could only wait patiently.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Lu. You are so busy, but you still remember these things. I don't know how to thank you."

"Why are you thanking me? I can only ask and show my concern.

You came here for something, right?"

Liu Jie thought, finally I can say it.

He hurriedly recounted the conflict with Jiang Zhe, exaggerating it, but in his words, his starting point was for work and for the overall situation.

"Mr. Lu, the opinions of several departments are not unified, and no one knows what to do, so I would like to ask you for some advice."

Mr. Lu waved his hand and said, "I'm retired and no longer in that position. I'm old and can't keep up with the situation. I can't speak. If you ask me, I can only say, obey the arrangement.

Look, this is the book I was reading.”

Liu Jie had seen it a long time ago. It was a copy of Dream of the Red Chamber.

"The stories in this book are wonderful. Different people gain different things from reading them. Do you like reading it?" asked Mr. Lu.

Liu Jie replied, "I also like reading this book, but I don't quite understand it. If possible, I would like to ask you for advice." Lu Lao shook his head and said, "When reading, you don't have to come to a conclusion every time. Some things can only be understood by yourself. You can't sing the song you are taught."

Liu Jie didn't understand for a moment, but he felt something was wrong. "Mr. Lu, what do you think about this matter?"

Mr. Lu said, "I don't understand. Don't ask me."

"By the way, take this book back with you." Mr. Lu pointed at the book Liu Jie sent.

Liu Jie's heart sank, but he remained calm on the surface. "Mr. Lu, you keep it to study. If you leave it to me, I won't be able to read it. Only you can understand it best."

"If that's the case, I suggest you send it to some specialized research institutions instead of leaving it with me. It's a waste." Mr. Lu said it was a suggestion, but his tone revealed that he could not refuse.

It was such a coincidence that the staff member who brought Liu Jie here knocked on the door and came in to remind him.

"Mr. Lu, it's time to rest as ordered by the doctor. You should rest."

"Okay, I understand." Lu Lao responded and looked at Liu Jie again. "The doctor arranged a schedule for me. Science is flourishing now, and doctors are also very good. We must all follow the doctor's advice."

"Your health is very important and you should listen to your doctor," said Liu Jie.

"You are not young anymore, you must learn to take care of your health," said Mr. Lu.

Liu Jie didn't get the answer he wanted, but he knew it was time to leave.

He offered to take his leave.

After Mr. Lu sent Liu Jie to the study and watched him leave, he did not go to rest, but returned to the study and sat down.

Soon, the staff came back to report.

"Mr. Lu, Liu Jie has left. He took the gift with him."

Mr. Lu said expressionlessly: "From now on, I don't want to answer this person's phone calls. I don't want to see him when he comes to my house."

The staff member replied: “I understand.”

After he changed a glass of water for Mr. Lu, he quietly left the study.

Mr. Lu's gaze fell on the desk again.

There is a small desk lamp on the desk, with a few books and a tray next to it.

There were some stationery in the tray.

He picked up a wooden box, opened it, and took out a three-centimeter square, ten-centimeter-high mountain thin seal. This seal material is Shoushan mountain series fine stone, commonly known as "Tai Chi head", with a fine texture and a blend of yellow and white.

This type of stone is rare, and large pieces are especially hard to come by.

Mr. Lu slowly turned the seal in his hand, admiring the shallowly carved landscape painting on its surface.

He used his fingers to gently rub the thin carving on the seal. The knife technique for carving the landscape was round and smooth, and the carving was fine.

Although the landscape painting is small in size, it is very vivid. The mountains are rolling, surrounded by clouds, and a pine tree stands tall and strong on the cliff. The painting combines the real and the imaginary, and the density is well-arranged. It encompasses everything in a small space, and the charm is vivid. Combined with the texture and color of the fine stone itself, it adds more natural interest.

There is a signature on the seal: Jiang Zhe.

After appreciating it, he took out the cinnabar ink and tried to stamp it on a piece of continuous paper.

A cinnabar seal appeared on the paper: The way of great virtue is to make the world common to all.

He knew that "The way of great virtue is to make the world public" was originally Mr. Ju Lai's Yuan Dynasty red seal, and the seal in the box was newly carved, but he still liked it very much.

This red seal retains the advantages of Julai's seal carving, and has a more peaceful and thick style. A careful appreciation reveals that there is not a single stroke that can be added or subtracted. The dense parts do not seem tight, and the sparse parts do not seem loose. The knife is used meticulously, and the seal characters are used in a square and round manner.

After looking at the seal, Mr. Lu carefully put away the seal and took out a book.

He placed the album on the reading shelf, and studied the calligraphy, occasionally using his fingers to draw in the middle, imitating writing...

(End of this chapter)