Of course, after the misunderstanding was resolved, the conversation started.
This young man who was called Beichen by Huang Xiang was certainly not a little gangster.
His real name is Xu Beichen. I heard that when Huang Xiang was passing by in Danyang, he was entangled by a group of gangsters. Xu Beichen, armed with a long spear, beat the gangsters to death.
Afterwards, Huang Xiang saw that Xu Beichen's clothes were in tatters and asked if he was a homeless young man. Once he figured it out, he asked Xu Beichen to follow him to Kuaiji.
This wait lasted nearly ten years.
However, one thing is worth noting - ten years ago, Huang Xiang seemed to be living a pretty comfortable life.
All the changes happened in these ten years, otherwise he would not be in such a situation——
Yi Xiaotian's first impression when he walked into the mansion was that the mansion was a bit too desolate.
Not to mention the bare walls of the house, the walls everywhere seemed to have faded as no one took care of them.
The corner of the yard is filled with fallen leaves and dirt that have accumulated over the years.
There was nothing in the open space, just a lonely stone table.
There is now a plate of peanuts and a small glass of wine on the table, which seem to have been left behind by Xu Beichen's meal and drink just now.
In addition to the main hall, there are several small side rooms in the mansion. Further inside, there is a small woodshed, and it seems that the kitchen is also connected to it.
The eaves are covered with dust and dirt, and the doors and windows are covered with spider webs. No... this is not just desolate, if it goes any further, the mansion will almost be scrapped.
From these scenes, Yi Xiaotian at least came to one conclusion, that is - this Xu Beichen must not be a good servant.
But it's true, looking at Xu Beichen's gangster appearance, he might be quite good at fighting, so it's really hard for him to do things that these servants are proficient in.
But even though he was so poor, Huang Xiang still supported him. Huang Xiang's personality was indeed a bit strange.
——
"The humble house is a bit dilapidated. Please don't mind Zhantang. I have been busy collecting calligraphy and paintings these years, and I really have no intention of taking care of the trivial matters at home."
"This... is the best tea in the house. I don't know if Zhantang is used to drinking it."
Sitting in front of the hall, Huang Xiang personally brought tea after a while. It was strange to see his master working so hard, but Xu Beichen still crossed his legs, ate peanuts, and drank a small drink seemingly unhappy.
No one cares about this.
"Xiu Ming is out of town. We are not children from a rich family and we are not particular about it."
Yi Xiaotian asked Huang Xiang to sit down. Huang Xiang stretched his waist and sat down on the chair with some difficulty.
…
In the following time, Yi Xiaotian naturally did not directly tell his true intention.
He is not particularly anxious, mainly because he doesn't know Huang Xiang well enough. Although judging from his words and deeds, this person should not be a treacherous person, but... there are exceptions to everything.
Yi Xiaotian started the conversation. When he talked about calligraphy and copybooks, Huang Xiang became more energetic. He was not as tired as before. It was like a different person. Huang Xiang's mouth started to move like a machine gun.
Export his theories to Yi Xiaotian.
Fortunately, it was Yi Xiaotian. If it were anyone else, I'm afraid he really wouldn't be able to accept Huang Xiang's enthusiastic appearance.
The key point is that Yi Xiaotian can always respond with a few words from the side, which makes Huang Xiang's desire to express that he has been pent up for an unknown amount of time explode today.
Xu Beichen obviously knew this. He sneaked to the door early with a small plate of peanuts, leaned against the door frame and looked at the girl next door passing by. From time to time, he would whistle excitedly to tease others——
"Sure enough, he is just a little gangster, right?"
Yi Xiaotian secretly thought in his heart. He didn't know how long it had been, but his mouth seemed to be a little dry. Huang Xiang paused and realized that it was already getting late. Then he recalled the original question that the other party asked him...
"Sorry, Zhantang, I seem... I seem to be talking too excitedly. Didn't... didn't it waste your time?"
Huang Xiang looked embarrassed and said with some fear, as if he was afraid that Yi Xiaotian would leave soon because he was too wordy.
What surprised and relaxed Huang Xiang was that Yi Xiaotian still kept smiling and didn't seem to mind that he had done so much crazy output before.
"It doesn't matter - Xiuming really has his own unique insights into calligraphy. At least in terms of theory and technique, I haven't seen anyone who can surpass you. Saying you are a master is not a compliment, but a real one."
"Oh...Zhantang, what you said...makes...my old face really don't know where to put it...much praise, much praise..."
"Perhaps when I was young, I really wanted to compete with others in this skill, but now...well, sure enough, things have changed. Now, in the eyes of everyone, I am just an old stubborn man who sells his daughter for glory.
…”
Finally came to this idea.
Yi Xiaotian has always been a little strange. Seeing Huang Xiang like this, although his enthusiasm for calligraphy is a bit high, it is not difficult to see that Huang Xiang is definitely a normal person whether it is how he behaves or behaves according to etiquette.
It can even be said to a certain extent that even though he was in such poverty, Huang Xiang still maintained the elegant temperament of a literati.
This is the most rare.
It's hard to imagine that such a person would behave as badly as the rumors say...
"So, what happened?"
"I'm afraid the rumors from the outside world have overlooked a lot of hidden secrets, right?"
"If...if Zhantang you are willing to listen..."
Huang Xiang sighed... and finally explained the matter.
——
Actually it's not a big deal.
Huang Xiang was praised for his calligraphy skills in his early years and became famous very early.
The price of his copybooks has naturally skyrocketed.
He was young and energetic, and relying on these, he married a wife, gave birth to a daughter, and had a happy family. It seemed that his life would continue to be happy like this.
The turning point in his life probably came after his wife died of illness that year.
At that time, he sold all his family's assets, leaving only a mansion, and spent a lot of money to seek medical treatment, but in the end he was unable to save his wife's life.
Since then, Huang Xiang's whole appearance has changed.
He began to be confused, and his calligraphy and copybooks were thrown aside by him. He didn't want to make progress, and he even began to stay up at night. People could always see the drunken Emperor Xiang in various corners of the city.
People say that the genius of Huang Xiang is completely useless.
Perhaps what shocked him the most was what his daughter did, right?
The daughter who had been pampered since she was a child suddenly lost everything she owned. The death of her mother may not have dealt a big blow to him.
On the contrary, it was Huang Xiang's act of selling off his family property that his daughter kept talking about.
Until someone comes to talk to you.
He said he wanted to marry his only daughter.
Only then did Huang Xiang really wake up from his confusion.
This time...he rejected the other party righteously.
Just because the other party is a notorious rich man in the county...
Oppressing the people, seizing land, doing all kinds of evil...such a person, Huang Xiang would not marry his daughter away no matter what.
But it happened that his daughter took a fancy to the family's wealth, so she made a private engagement while the emperor was away -
What happened next was just like the rumors. Huang Xiang was not willing to join in the trouble. He asked for calligraphy and painting, but Huang Xiang refused to give it.
Then her daughter held a grudge and joined forces with her husband's family to ruin Huang Xiang's reputation.
Maybe the only thing the other party didn't expect was that under such circumstances, Huang Xiang returned to studying calligraphy and painting, turning grief into strength, and reaching a higher peak in his skills.