My Sister Is Acting Strange - Chapter 13 - Furious Calligraphers

The room was quiet, with everyone absorbed in their books, occasionally exchanging a few words. Xia Xinya’s phone buzzed intermittently, breaking the silence.

The club activity lasted for two hours, and Tang Huaijin took a sip from his teacup, noticing the flavor had slightly faded with the second brew.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door of the activity room.

Xia Xinya, who had been lazily sprawled on the couch, suddenly sprang up and dashed to open the door.

Standing outside were several burly men, their expressions unfriendly. The doorframe, though spacious, seemed cramped as they squeezed through, and one of them bluntly asked:

“Who’s Tang Huaijin in your club?”

Tang Huaijin was taken aback, not recognizing any of them. He hesitated, “That’s me. What do you want?”

The leading strong man snorted, “We’re from the calligraphy club.”

You don’t say…

Tang Huaijin replied, “And then?”

Apparently angered by Tang Huaijin’s attitude, the man’s tone grew harsher, his eyes glaring like copper bells, “Why did you provoke us?”

Tang Huaijin was bewildered, “What are you talking about?”

“Stop pretending!” The man pulled out a sheet of paper and slapped it onto the table, demanding, “What’s this?”

Tang Huaijin leaned over to take a look, frowning.

On the Xuan paper¹, scrawled in crooked brush strokes, it read:

“I intended to admire your masterpieces,

But found them utterly disgraceful,

The calligraphy club is a misnomer,

Suggest disbanding the club.”

Below was Tang Huaijin’s signature.

Well, well…

For those who cherished calligraphy, this was the ultimate insult. The suggestion to disband the club was a stab to the heart.

The signature closely resembled Tang Huaijin’s own-bold, elegant, and graceful. If he hadn’t been certain he hadn’t written it, even he might have been fooled.

Tang Huaijin shook his head, “I didn’t write this.”

“You didn’t write it?” The man’s thick eyebrows knitted together.

Someone with sharp eyes noticed the club application form Shen Yiqiu had just taken out on the table and suggested, “Compare the handwriting, and we’ll know.”

The man compared the papers and found the signatures nearly identical. He angrily slapped the table, “What do you have to say now?”

Tang Huaijin’s expression grew serious, unable to find evidence at the moment.

Bai Yuerou glanced at the tense standoff and defended Tang Huaijin, “Tang Huaijin has been with us the whole time. When would he have had the chance to deliver this?”

Shen Yiqiu also nodded gently from her seat.

The man snorted, “We’ve been in our club all afternoon too. This paper must have been slipped in earlier. The window was open, and we wouldn’t have found it if we hadn’t been tidying up!”

He clenched his fists, glaring at Tang Huaijin with fury, “I’m curious where you got the key to sneak into our club, ruin our brushes, and leave them to dry on the floor. We were just wondering which member was so uncivilized. Now, what do you have to say?”

Bai Yuerou opened her mouth, glancing at Xia Xinya, who was watching the commotion. She knew Xia Xinya had swiped a set of keys to the entire club building for her frequent naps.

Xia Xinya, caught off guard, felt guilty under Bai Yuerou’s gaze, lowering her head and avoiding eye contact.

Tang Huaijin already suspected Xia Xinya and noticed the silent exchange between the two.

Bai Yuerou bit her lip, looking at Tang Huaijin, who was quietly observing, her mind in turmoil. She could only muster a calm front, “What do you want? The teacher is here.”

The burly men noticed Shen Yiqiu on the sofa but remained unfazed. They weren’t afraid of teachers, some even eager to pounce.

The calligraphy club, nicknamed the furious calligraphers club, was known for its members’ volatile tempers and burly physiques, unlike the typical gentle scholars. A drum club next door had been driven away by these brutes.

The tense atmosphere made Xia Xinya, already feeling guilty, nervous. According to plan, she should step forward to resolve the situation, asserting her authority over Tang Huaijin.

Just as she was about to stand, Tang Huaijin sneered, “Yes, I wrote it.”

“Because your writing is indeed unworthy.”

The room fell silent.

Xia Xinya’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Bai Yuerou was stunned.

Shen Yiqiu, who had just risen, sat back down.

After a brief silence, the calligraphy club members erupted in curses.

Insulted face-to-face, they couldn’t contain their anger, rolling up their sleeves to charge forward.

“Hold on.” Tang Huaijin shouted, looking at the leader, “Are you dissatisfied?”

“Of course, who do you think you are?” The man glared at him.

“Give me a brush and paper, and I’ll convince you.” Tang Huaijin said confidently.

The man stared at him with a predatory gaze, then instructed the person on his left, “Go, get him a brush, paper, and the best ink.”

The man on the left didn’t hesitate, calling two others to fetch the supplies. They returned with a writing brush, paper, and inkstone, placing them on the table with a sneer, “Can you use them? Need me to find you a bottle of ink?”

Tang Huaijin ignored him, arranging the Xuan paper and placing the paperweight, then turned to Bai Yuerou, “Can you grind the ink?”

Bai Yuerou had seen her father write calligraphy with her mother grinding ink but had never tried it herself. Nervously, she said, “I… I’m afraid I won’t do it well.”

Shen Yiqiu suddenly stood up, picking up the ink stick, “I’ll do it.”

Tang Huaijin glanced at Shen Yiqiu in surprise, “Thank you.”

Feeling warm, Shen Yiqiu unbuttoned her jacket, revealing a clean white shirt underneath, her figure well-defined, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders.

She rolled up her sleeves, her slender fingers holding the ink stick, grinding it on the inkstone.

Her father’s greatest passion was calligraphy, often pulling her and her brother into his study. As a child, her sister would grind ink for him, adding a touch of elegance.

Tang Huaijin, reminded of the past, felt a surge of emotion, picking up a wolf hair brush and dipping it into the ink, he began to write on the Xuan paper.

With fluid strokes, he wrote a grand running script.

“The rivers and lakes are not yet fraught with perilous tides, Elsewhere in the world, the path of life holds trials to abide.”

The characters flowed like clouds and moved like startled dragons, the strokes powerful and vigorous, exuding the unique edge of youth.

In terms of elegance, running script was unmatched, and Tang Huaijin’s writing brought this elegance to the extreme. Even Xia Xinya, an outsider, couldn’t help but be captivated, asking, “Is he… is he writing well?”

Shen Yiqiu admired Tang Huaijin’s writing, her tone filled with delight, “It’s very good.”

But in the realm of art, once reaching a certain level, quality becomes subjective. As the saying goes, there’s no first place in literature, no second in martial arts.

The leader remained silent, observing the writing, while a club member commented, “Teacher, I don’t think it’s as good as our president’s.”

Shen Yiqiu’s expression didn’t change, her gaze unwavering from the writing, casually pulling out a card and placing it on the table.

Huaguo Calligraphy Association

Jizhou City Calligraphy Association Honorary President

…

“Shut up, don’t embarrass us.” The leader glared at the member, then turned to Tang Huaijin, sighing, “Did you learn calligraphy from a young age?”

Tang Huaijin nodded, “My father loved calligraphy.” He added sincerely, “I didn’t write that note, I hope you believe me.”

The leader nodded, his tone softened, his expression apologetic, “I believe you. We have no grudge, you’re talented, you wouldn’t do such a thing. We were rash, sorry.”

After apologizing, the leader’s eyes brightened, smiling at Tang Huaijin, “Want to join our club? With your skills, you could be president.”

Tang Huaijin laughed, “No, thanks. I haven’t written in a while, this was just a good performance, nothing special.”

He politely declined. The burly man was reasonable, admitting fault, which was endearing, but Tang Huaijin had no interest in mingling with muscle-bound men.

The leader clicked his tongue in disappointment, then offered, “Do you suspect anyone? We’ll help you deal with him as an apology.”

Tang Huaijin glanced at the guilty-looking Xia Xinya, smiling, “I don’t know who did it, but I bet he is feeling guilty now.”

The leader laughed heartily, “Definitely, if I find out who, I won’t let him off easily.”

Footnote:

1. Xuan Paper(宣纸):A high-quality, traditional Chinese paper that is soft, durable, and highly absorbent, making it ideal for Chinese calligraphy and ink painting. It originates from Xuancheng, Anhui Province, and is often referred to as the “king of paper” due to its superior quality.