In the backyard, the smell of ink was in the air.
The sweet smell of Xuan paper also lingered in the air.
"Teacher Wang."
"Yo, Mr Liu."
"Master Chen is here too, where did you come from?"
"I came over from Shanghai. It's Old Master Wei's birthday, so I can't not come."
They were all people from the same circle, so they were familiar with each other. The old friends began chatting heartily, looking like they had not seen each other in a long time.
In the corner, only Zhang Ye was standing there alone. Many people saw him, but did not know who he was. Because he looked rather young and was strangely wearing shades, no one bothered about him. As Su Na was ushered by her father to greet his friends, Wu Zeqing was still chatting with her friends, Zhang Ye found a chair and sat down. Since he had not had his breakfast, he tried out some of the refreshments on the table. It was actually quite tasty, so he poured himself a cup of hot tea and crossed his legs back relaxingly. He started munching on some sunflower seeds, fully making himself feel at home.
"Who is this person?"
"Don't seem to know him."
"Whose family member is he? Is he that hungry?"
"I think I saw him come in with Teacher Su's daughter."
"Old Su's son-in-law? No way, I am old friends with Old Su, so how can I not have seen this kid? Little Na Na isn't married either. so it can't be."
A few people looked at Zhang Ye with askance.
Zhang Ye felt like he was too flamboyant, so with a cough, he stopped eating.
It was unknown when Wu Zeqing walked over. Today, she was dressed in a beige qipai. The red flowers that adorned her dress were very eye-catching. She had been wearing a qipao with a sweater of coat draped over her. Her high heels were beige in color to match her qipao, making her look extremely alluring.
"You were eating?" Wu Zeqing gave a faint smile.
Zhang Ye beamed and stood up. "I didn't eat this morning, so I was hungry."
Wu Zeqing lowered her hands, "Just carry on eating. It's alright."
Zhang Ye said, "If I knew today was the Calligraphy Association's anniversary, I wouldn't have come. I'm not someone from this circle. I don't really know much about calligraphy. If I knew this early, I would have given you a birthday present privately. Unfortunately, I didn't have time this morning, so I didn't bring anything."
Wu Zeqing gently smiled. "There's no need for presents. It's alright if you do not know calligraphy. Inviting you here was to let you enter this circle. You are a person of literature, so knowing more people won't hurt. Hur Hur. Alright, carry on eating. I'll go greet a few old friends."
"Sis Wu."
"Teacher Wu.