Only Lei Weidong took the lead and assigned tasks to everyone.

After the meal, some ceremonies were held according to Xiangjiang customs, and the invited guests arrived one after another.

Wong Ping-yiu from the West Kowloon General Administration, Lam Meng, Uncle Biao and Chan Ka-kui from the Central District, Da Zui.

Instructor Hu, Li Ying, Li Zhongguang, Zhu Huabiao, Zhou Xingxing and others from Yau Tsim District.

Some of them were alone, such as Lin Meng and Huang Bingyao who came alone.

Some people came with them, such as Uncle Biao who brought his cousin and her three daughters, and Li Zhongguang who brought his son.

The rest is to bring friends, Chen Jiaju with his fiancée A Mei, Li Ying with Jenny, Zhou Xingxing with Cindy, a total of more than 40 people.

Everyone brought congratulatory gifts, which of course were not very expensive. In fact, Lei Weidong's net worth was much higher than everyone else's, let alone the manor at his feet.

Not to mention the whole villa, even a single villa will make everyone envious. So the gift only needs to be unique.

"A Dong, come and take a look. This is the treasure I gave you. Although it is not very expensive, it cost only one thousand yuan, but it is a masterpiece by a famous artist. You will definitely like it."

Chen Jiaju took out an exquisite bamboo tube, took out the items wrapped in leather paper, opened the paper, and revealed the scroll inside.

"Calligraphy and painting, Jiaju, when did you start playing with these things? It doesn't look like your temper." Li Ying and others were very surprised to see that Chen Jiaju's gift was actually calligraphy and painting.

It would not be unusual for Huang Bingyao, Uncle Biao and others to send calligraphy and paintings, but it would be a bit strange for Chen Jiaju to send this...

"A Dong is so rich that he doesn't like giving gold and jewelry at all. He might as well give something elegant. I bought this from a mainlander. It's not valuable now, but it might be worth a few decades."

Saying this, Chen Jiaju unfolded the scroll and revealed the contents inside.

"This is!"

Seeing that there were only a few lotus flowers in the painting, rough people like Li Ying and Zhou Xingxing were a little surprised. They didn't understand why Chen Jiaju regarded them as treasures. But it was different for educated people like Lei Weidong and Salina.

"Looking at the painter, the materials used seem to be Zhang Daqian's, except for the seal." Salena stepped forward to appreciate it carefully.

The content of the painting is very simple, including two large pink lotus flowers, a dead lotus branch, a bare stem, a pool of mud, and a few small shrimps and aquatic plants.

For people who don't know how to draw, this is no different from what the art teacher draws in art class.

But for masters, they can see the difference between the two. The simpler the painting, the more difficult it is to paint. Especially in ink painting, a few strokes can show the skills of more than ten years or even decades.

This is like the painting in front of me!

Although there are not many things in the painting, there are only lotus flowers, lotus leaves, soil, fish and shrimp, etc., but when put together, the whole painting seems to be floating in front of you, very realistic...

"seal......"

Following Salena's fingers, everyone looked and saw some small words in the lower right corner of the painting. The content was "Congratulations to my sister on her fiftieth birthday in the year of Ji Chou. I wish my sister's pines and cypresses to be evergreen and her long life of happiness. Brother's love, there is a Qiuchi written on it."

's seal.

"Mr. Zhang Daqian spent countless paintings, most of which were sold for money, and a small amount was given to friends." Seeing that everyone did not understand, Salina explained.

"It goes without saying that paintings that are sold for money cannot be the ones that Zhang Daqian put his heart into, but the paintings that are given to friends are different. Almost all of them are works of great effort and are considered fine works.

The reason for distinguishing the two is very simple. You don't need to look at the size of the painting, just look at the inscription. Anyone with the name "Daqian", "Zhang Yuan", "Daqian Jushi", etc., means that it is

Used to sell for money.

But if the inscription on it contains honorifics such as "Brother Zhang Yuan" or "Brother Yuan", it means that this painting was given to a friend by Zhang Daqian and is considered a fine product."

"The inscription on this painting is Brotherly Love. Does that mean this painting was given to my sister? But does Zhang Daqian have a sister? I really don't think I've heard of it."

Uncle Biao is also a person who loves painting. He likes Zhang Daqian's works very much, so he came up to ask.

"Maybe they are cousins ​​or adopted sisters. Zhang Daqian has been romantic all his life and has countless confidantes. It's normal to have one or two adopted sisters. It's just that Qiuchi's seal makes me a little confused.

Zhang Daqian really wishes he didn't have this seal." Salena pointed to the seal at the end of the inscription and said, "But judging from the painting method and style, this painting is indeed Zhang Daqian's original work. Brother Dong, do you think this painting is authentic or fake?

"

Undecided, Salena asked Lei Weidong.

"This should be Zhang Daqian's original work. As for this Qiu Chi's seal." Lei Weidong pointed at the inscription on the calligraphy and painting with his finger and said with a smile, "Who among you knows Zhang Daqian's life? Please tell us."

"I...I know."

Seeing that everyone was silent, Jin Qing raised his right hand and said.

"You know?"

"Yes!" Jin nodded lightly, "When I was with my father, in addition to studying gambling, I also studied classical culture to cultivate my sentiments. I got to know Zhang Daqian specifically.

Not only his paintings, but also his life. I have heard of the Qiu Chi seal, which seems to be related to Li Qiujun."

"Since you know, let's talk about it." Lei Weidong motioned to Jin Qing to continue.

"Zhang Daqian's original name was Zhengquan, but he later changed his name to Yuan, with the courtesy name Ji Yuan, nickname Daqian, and alias Daqian Jushi. He was born in Neijiang, Sichuan in 1899. He has ten brothers and one sister, making him the eighth eldest.

One thing that needs to be explained is that Zhang Daqian's family background is very superior and he is a local wealthy family.

People often say that the Republic of China produced great people, not only the painter Zhang Daqian, the poet Xu Zhimo, but also writers and thinkers. I thought that I was also born in the Republic of China and could meet these predecessors.

But they have forgotten that in the Republic of China, everyone was from a superior family, and had no worries about food, drink, or women. Even Lu Xun, whose family was in decline, was carefree and speechless when he was a child. Not only did he attend the Jiangnan Naval Academy, he was also able to take the imperial examination.

, and even passed the county examination.

If he could not afford to go to school like his childhood friend Runtu, there would be no future writer Lu Xun."

"Ah Qing, everyone knows what you are talking about, let's talk about Zhang Daqian, you see everyone is anxious." Lei Weidong motioned to Jin Qing not to change the subject.

"I digressed." Jin Qing smiled apologetically and continued, "Zhang Daqian went to Ribun to study when he was 17 years old. When he was 20 years old, he returned from Ribun to the capital and became his disciples, Zeng Xi and Li Ruiqing, the famous calligraphers in Shanghai.

Mr. Zeng Xi gave Zhang Daqian the stage name Yuan, also known as Ji Yuan, and supported him in holding his first solo exhibition. All 100 works were sold out, making him an instant success and famous.

However, in that year, his fiancée's cousin passed away. He became a monk at Songjiang Zending Temple and took the Dharma name Daqian, hence the title Zhang Daqian. Three months later, he returned to secular life and returned to his hometown.

Under the auspices of his mother, Zhang Daqian and Zeng Zhengrong were married. The next year, he took a concubine. Then he returned to Shanghai and started selling paintings for a living. Because he was young and not famous, he could not sell for a high price.

Zhang Daqian began to imitate the paintings of Shi Tao, a great painter in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Because of his high level of skill, he confused the real paintings with the fake ones, and even the senior painter Huang Binhong couldn't recognize them.

It was at this time that he met his lifelong friend and confidante Li Qiujun, and the reason for their acquaintance was a bit ridiculous.

Li Maochang, a well-known local wealthy businessman in Shanghai, liked Shi Tao's paintings very much. He spent 50 yuan to buy an authentic work of Shi Tao from Zhang Daqian, and then took it home to show to his daughter Li Qiujun.

Li Qiujun smiled at the painting his father bought for personal leave, but the painter was of extremely high standard, no less than or even better than Shi Tao.

My daughter Li Qiujun is a talented woman. She has been proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting since she was a child. She is especially talented in painting, otherwise she would not be able to tell at a glance that the paintings are fake.

Li Maochang recognized his daughter's talent very much, so he began to look for the person who painted the fake paintings. He originally thought he was a senior painter, but when he found the real person, he discovered that the person was a young man in his twenties.

This made Li Maochang very surprised and happy about Zhang Daqian's talent, because he felt that Zhang Daqian was a perfect match for his daughter, so he invited him to visit his home.

So the two golden girls in the painting world had the opportunity to meet, and a poignant story began."

"A poignant story, are they?" Salena asked.

"Destined but not separated." Jin nodded lightly and said, "Although Zhang Daqian and Li Qiujun were engaged under Li's father's deliberate "matchmaking", apart from sleeping in separate rooms, they were almost inseparable and were no different from real couples.

But I don’t know why, Zhang Daqian, who has had countless romantic lovers in his life, treated Li Qiujun with respect and did not dare to cross the threshold.

Even when Li Qiujun wanted to be his concubine, he rejected her!"
Chapter completed!