Chapter 1248: The Feud with the Owner of Boya Pavilion

In the following afternoon, Wen Xinya headed to the Mo Family home excitedly.

Old Mr. Mo was in the midst of practicing calligraphy in the study, exuding a refined and commanding aura. “How many times have I told you before that girls ought to be reserved and calm? You’re so flighty and fidgety.”

Wen Xinya secretly stuck her tongue out at Old Mr. Mo and retracted her leg. She then pretended to be demure and composed. After knocking on the door twice, she asked, “Grampy, may I enter?”

Old Mr. Mo answered without raising his head, “Come in!”

Wen Xinya secretly grimaced at Old Mr. Mo and entered the study.

The aroma of ink filled the air in the study. It was a fragrance that smelled perfect and not too overwhelming, unlike oil-based ink. In fact, it was rather rich and alluring.

Wen Xinya subconsciously took lighter steps and walked towards the desk where Old Mr. Mo was writing some calligraphy in the Yan style. Every stroke of the brush was graceful and domineering. Wen Xinya could not help but be in awe and admiration of him.

Old Mr. Mo’s calligraphy skills were on a whole new level.

A moment later, Old Mr. Mo raised his brush and swung it firmly to write a word on the paper in an amazing manner.

Wen Xinya praised. “Turns out you’ve attained such high-level skills, Grampy!”

Old Mr. Mo put his brush down and said with a mellow expression, “When I was younger, I didn’t like writing in a regular script and preferred messy and cursive styles like this. Your great-grandfather once chased me around the yard with a bamboo cane.”

He learned how to write in semicursive script at that time and he often felt satisfied and relieved after writing it, though he would always end up breaking a sweat.

Wen Xinya chuckled and exclaimed, “Everyone’s a little crazy when they’re young!”

In Wen Xinya’s eyes, Old Mr. Mo was gentlemanly, benevolent, magnanimous, reserved and full of rigor. She thought that he had possessed those qualities from a young age, but it turns out he, too, was a little crazy and fun-loving in his younger days.

Old Mr. Mo gently patted her head and said, “Lass, you’re teasing me again.”

Wen Xinya chuckled and tugged Old Mr. Mo’s sleeve. “Grampy, since you don’t like regular script, how did you manage to master it?”

The thought of it made Old Mr. Mo smile and said, “Your great-grandfather decided to give up on me because he couldn’t keep me under his control. Later on, he brought me to visit his friends and I began to compete with a group of youths in calligraphy. I was extremely smug about my semicursive script, but it was rather messy and no one really understood it. Most people can barely read a few characters. They even mocked me and said that I was writing an amulet.”

He grinned widely.

Wen Xinya burst into laughter and clutched her stomach. “Grampy, I didn’t expect that you’d be in such a sorry position. What happened afterwards?”

Old Mr. Mo laughed and said, “Later on, I tried to salvage my reputation as most people would.”

Wen Xinya smiled and reckoned that Old Mr. Mo must have put in a ton of effort into practicing calligraphy because of how prideful he was.

She felt that it definitely had something to do with her intelligent great-grandfather.

Noticing that she was smiling gleefully, Old Mr. Mo said calmly, “You’re a girl, you must be restrained with your laughter and mind your behavior.”

Old Mr. Mo did not expect Wen Xinya to be a quiet, demure and reserved lady, but he had a hunch that she had been led astray by Si Yiyan ever since the two begun dating and hence, he felt the need to be stricter with her.

Wen Xinya immediately stopped laughing, though joy was written all over her face.

Old Mr. Mo decided to ask her about the gala that took place yesterday.

Wen Xinya told him the truth about everything that had happened and at last, she said, “Grampy, I didn’t let you down. I managed to perform outstandingly in all four arts and won the gala. Shouldn’t you reward me!?!”

At this moment, Wen Xinya was behaving like a child who was bragging about her excellent results to her parents, full of pride and happiness. Although she did not care about titles, she was elated about living up to Old Mr. Mo’s expectations.

Old Mr. Mo said calmly, “You’ve merely won the gala and yet, you’re already so smug. What do I usually teach you? I always tell you to be humble and remain composed regardless of what happens. Where did all those knowledge go to?”

Although Wen Xinya had a head start, she had a weaker foundation and hence, he wanted to help build her character through teaching her the four arts. Playing the zither would help build her patience, chess would help build her wit, calligraphy would help build her personality, while drawing would give her an interest to focus on. Although she was doing well, she lacked composure and was easily affected by everything around her.

Wen Xinya’s spirits were dampened and she said, “Grampy, I understand.”

Appearing much more relaxed, Old Mr. Mo said, “Put away your complacency and calm yourself down so that you can learn properly.”

Wen Xinya nodded and winked at Old Mr. Mo. “Grampy, the owner of Boya Pavilion asked me about your health during the gala yesterday. She also mentioned about Granny. Do you know her?”

Wen Xinya could sense the animosity that the owner had towards her, and the latter also sounded rather displeased when talking about Wen Xinya’s grandmother. Hence, she deduced that the owner must have had a feud with the Mo Family. She could not help but let her imagination run wild. Could it be that she and Granny had both fallen in love with Grampy at the same time but Grampy was in love with Granny instead of her…

Old Mr. Mo had no idea what she was thinking. Had he known, he would have definitely taught her a lesson. “I don’t know her that well, but she did have some differences with your granny.”

Wen Xinya’s eyes lit up and she asked curiously, “What do you mean?”

She felt that she had guessed correctly.

Old Mr. Mo glanced at her before asking, “Why are you asking me about this?”

Old Mr. Mo felt that it was insignificant.

Wen Xinya smiled and exclaimed, “The owner hates me, but I can’t let her bear a grudge against me for no reason!”

Wen Xinya praised herself for coming up with such an excuse.

Old Mr. Mo said, “Back then, your granny and she were known as the most beautiful women of Capital city and, although they were given the same title, there was still competition between them. Hence, it’s natural that there would be some differences between them.”

Wen Xinya felt that the truth was not that simple. Her eyes darted around aimlessly in a gossipy manner. She felt that she had discovered some secrets.

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