As Leng Yuan ate, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt. He rembered that when Gu Jiaojiao first ca to the countryside, she never cooked. Others always did it for her.
He had assud she couldn’t cook, but he never expected her food to be so delicious that even he couldn’t help but take one bite after another.
Leng Yuan didn’t voice his question. He felt he didn’t know Gu Jiaojiao well enough yet and had no right to ask.
Gu Jiaojiao knew her actions might arouse Leng Yuan’s suspicion. She had already prepared an excuse, but it was a lie she was unwilling to tell. The fact that he didn’t ask suited her just fine.
The couple finished every last bite. Gu Jiaojiao didn’t eat much; most of the food ended up in Leng Yuan’s stomach, which left her feeling very satisfied.
That evening, back in their room, Leng Yuan sat at his desk writing. Feeling bored, Gu Jiaojiao decided to ask if she could borrow a book to read.
She walked over, and just as she was about to speak, she caught sight of his beautiful penmanship. It was as flawless as a calligraphy copybook.
Gu Jiaojiao knew Leng Yuan’s family had been well-off when he was a child, but she had never imagined his handwriting would be this good.
Sensing her approach, Leng Yuan put down his pen and looked up to find her staring at him with a face full of admiration.
"Leng Yuan, you’re incredible! Your handwriting is just so beautiful."
Gu Jiaojiao’s own penmanship was quite good, but it was nothing compared to Leng Yuan’s.
It was no exaggeration to say that every character flowing from his pen had reached the level of a true master. In comparison, her own writing could only be considered decent at best.
Many people had admired Leng Yuan’s penmanship before. From his superiors to his colleagues, not a single person who saw it failed to offer their praise.
But no one’s reaction had ever been as dramatic as Gu Jiaojiao’s. She looked at him as if he were a priceless, world-class treasure.
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
"It’s not that incredible. It’s likely just from practicing since I was young."
Grandpa Leng was an incredibly wise man. He placed great importance on family precepts and insisted that every descendant learn the "Six Arts of the Gentleman."
In ancient tis, the Six Arts of the Gentleman were skills learned exclusively by the nobility; common families had no need for them.
The Leng Family had this rule because one of their ancestors had been a First-Grade Official. That period was considered the most glorious era in the family’s history.
However, as tis changed, the Leng Family gradually declined. By Grandpa Leng’s generation, they could only be considered comfortably well-off.
Even so, he never forgot the teachings of his ancestors and remained adamant about passing them down.
The most important of these traditions were the Six Arts.
The version of the Six Arts passed down in the Leng Family differed slightly from the commonly understood definition.
Traditionally, the Six Arts consisted of six fundantal skills: Rites, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics.
Rites: This refers to etiquette, which prominent families of the past emphasized. For the Leng Family, it beca the art of conducting oneself with integrity.
Music: Learning to play instrunts and understand musical principles to cultivate one’s character.
Archery: This was originally the art of the bow, but by Grandpa Leng’s ti, it had evolved into martial arts, intended to ensure that future generations would be physically strong and capable of self-defense.
Charioteering: Originally the skill of driving a chariot, this transford into the art of leading and managing people within the Leng Family.
Rumor had it that the Leng Family possessed an ancestral book, authored by the very sa ancestor who had been a First-Grade Official. It contained his insights on governance and the art of managing people. Descendants revered the book as a priceless treasure, but it was passed down only to the one who beca the Family Head. This itself was a secret known only to the Family Head.
But as ti went on, the Leng Family fell further into decline. By Grandpa Leng’s generation, he was the sole remaining heir of his line, so the position of Family Head naturally fell to him.
Grandpa Leng had three sons and one daughter, yet he didn’t pass the book to any of his sons. Instead, he passed it directly to his grandson, Leng Yuan.
This was sothing Gu Jiaojiao had learned while reading a book.
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