Chapter 62: Composing Poetry?

  Gu Xiannian smiled and replied with a smile: "Don't worry, we will never laugh at you."

  No kidding!

  Ye Qinglan secretly curled her lip in her heart, but quickly rummaged through the ancient poems she had learned before. Those from before the Song Dynasty were certainly not usable, and it was best to use those from after the Ming and Qing Dynasties...

  Mrs. Zheng and others looked over here very lively, also smiled and came over together. When they heard that poetry was to be composed, they couldn't help but burst out laughing simultaneously.

  Gu Xian was a prodigy from a young age, and at the age of 16, he became a champion. Although he had not yet retired, his talent was renowned throughout the capital. So far, no one has dared to recite poetry in front of Gu Si Gongzi. These little maids actually want to sharpen their skills, which is quite courageous.

  Mrs. Zheng smiled and ordered the maids to fetch pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the study and lay them out on a stone table nearby. She then asked in a soft voice, "Yuer, you've always loved reading and writing. Why not join in the fun and compose a poem together?"

  Gu Xi Yu's face was filled with hesitation.

  Since there's no shaking of the head, it's clear that one's heart has been moved.

  Madam Zheng was delighted. It seemed that inviting the Ye Qinglan sisters to dinner today was indeed a good idea. Gu Xiuyu was much more cheerful than usual today.

  Mrs. Zheng stood with Gu Xiuyu in front of a pot of orchids. Cui Wan also had the interest to join in, and went to the other side with Mrs. Zheng. Ye Qingning and Ye Qingrou were also frowning and thinking deeply. At this time, the ones who were most leisurely and carefree, looking around, were probably Gu Xiyuan and Ye Qinglan.

  Gu Xian Nian is confident, but Ye Qing Lan values self-awareness. Instead of racking his brains to think of a poem, it's better to plagiarize an existing one and get it over with quickly.

  The eyes of the two people accidentally met.

  Gu Xiannian's eyes were deep and profound, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking. Ye Qinglan was also skilled at concealing her true emotions. Their eyes met, touched lightly, and then each of them looked away.

  A stick of incense time, saying fast is not fast, saying slow is not slow.

  The first to take up her brush was Ye Qingning. She walked to the stone table, grasped a brush and quickly wrote a few sentences. Then she raised her head with a smile: "Brother, I'm done. Have you thought it through?"

  Gu Xi smiled leisurely: "I'll wait for a moment." Intentionally or unintentionally, she glanced at Ye Qinglan.

  Looks like he's really going all out against himself today.

  It's really inexplicable, she didn't do anything, how did she provoke Gu Xi Ye?

  Ye Qinglan walked away neatly and approached Gu Xiyu's side. Gu Xiyu was intently looking at the orchid in front of her, with a very serious expression. She didn't even notice Ye Qinglan's approach.

  Ye Qinglan stood one meter away, quietly and without disturbing Gu Xiuyu's thoughts.

  Mrs. Zheng naturally noticed this detail, and a hint of approval flashed in her eyes. This little girl is clever and agile, not to mention having such meticulous patience. And she gets along very well with her daughter, indeed a good playmate.

  Gu Xi Yu's slightly furrowed eyebrows finally relaxed quietly. It seems she had also thought it through.

  Ye Qinglan smiled and opened her mouth: "Xi Yu sister, I'll accompany you to write poetry, okay?"

  Gu Xiyu nodded and walked with Ye Qinglan to the stone table. On the spacious and flat stone table, a sheet of snow-white rice paper was spread out, with a paperweight, inkstone, brush, and other stationery neatly arranged on one side.

  Gu Xi Yu picked up a fine brush. Dipped in some ink, the tip of the pen moved swiftly across the paper.

  Tears of dew sparkle, with a hint of wind and shade. Ordinary people can't understand this, looking at leaves is better than looking at flowers.

  Not falling into clichés, great poem! Ye Qinglan sincerely praised: "This poem is extremely well-written, the words are also written with elegance and precision." Gu Xiuyu was very pleased with the praise. She smiled slightly, revealing her pearly whites.

  Gu Xian and others all came over to read the poem. Everyone, without exception, praised it non-stop. Especially Ye Qingrou, who was eager to please Gu Xiuyu, unknowingly leaned in a bit closer.

  A strong fragrance suddenly drilled into Gu Xiuyu's nose.

  Gu Xiuyu shifted uncomfortably and dodged slightly. The movement was very slight, but everyone present noticed it.

  Gu Xiannian furrowed her brow and said lightly, "I've also thought of a poem. Would you all please make some space for me, so my clothes don't get stained with ink?"

  Although the words are spoken in a gentle and polite manner, who can't hear the implication behind them?

  Ye Qingrou's face slightly flushed, and she awkwardly took a few steps back. Ye Qinglan and the others also retreated a bit. No one was tightly leaning against her anymore. Gu Xiyu's expression gradually relaxed.

  Gu Xian took up a brush, dipped it in thick ink, and began to write. In the blink of an eye, the large, flat sheet of snow-white paper was filled with words. The handwriting was bold and unrestrained, powerful and energetic.

  Ye Qingning couldn't help but walk forward, softly reciting it out loud.

  The solitary orchid grows in a secluded garden, surrounded by withered grasses. Although it is illuminated by the warm sunshine of spring, it is saddened by the bright moon of autumn. The flying frost arrives early and the green leaves are about to rest. If there were no clear breeze blowing, who would release its fragrance?

  A faint sense of desolation and bleakness quietly seeps out from between the lines.

  Everyone was moved at once. Ye Qingning looked at the poem she had written again and felt utterly ashamed.

  It is said that a person's handwriting reveals their character. Someone who can write with such flair and abandon would never be a person of bland and gentle disposition. Yet, he has always presented himself as calm and serene. If it weren't for his deliberate attempt to target her, intentionally revealing a hint of genuine emotion, she might have been deceived as well.

  So what kind of person is he?

  Ye Qinglan's eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked at Gu Xiannian steadily. Gu Xiannian also happened to look over. The two people's gazes met in mid-air.

  This time, Ye Qinglan did not move her gaze away and even looked back with a hint of provocation.

  Although it's unclear why, his hostility towards her was very obvious. In that case, she wouldn't back down or show weakness either!

  Gu Xiannian's eyes sparkled slightly as she suddenly smiled and said: "Sister Lan's poem should be done by now, why not write it out for us to appreciate together?"

  Ye Qinglan calmly replied, walked to the stone table, just picked up the brush, suddenly thought of something, and her movements abruptly stopped. With a slightly awkward smile, she said: "Sixth sister, there's something I need to trouble you with."

  Ye Qingning was taken aback, just about to say something, when Gu Xianning's voice suddenly rang out: "What, Lan sister-in-law is not convenient to hold a pen and write?" His dark eyes seemed to smile but not quite, clearly hiding some inexplicable emotions, yet deeply mysterious and impossible to see through.

  Ye Qinglan's heart skipped a beat, and she smiled without thinking: "Brother Gu misunderstood, I was not diligent in learning characters when I was young, my handwriting is not elegant, and I am really ashamed to show it to people. So I wanted to ask Sixth Sister to help me with the writing." She looked at Ye Qingning with a hopeful face: "Sixth Sister, can you help me out?"

  Of course. Ye Qingning had never refused to show off, let alone in front of Gu Xiye, so she readily agreed.

  Ye Qinglan secretly let out a sigh of relief, pretended to be deep in thought for a moment, and then slowly recited: "The elegant flower has a long green leaf, the fragrance in the valley is hard to hide when the wind comes. Not because it's taken as an ornament, even if no one is around, it still blooms by itself."

  This poem was written by Su Shi, which not only describes the beauty of orchids but also implies their nobility. It is a rare masterpiece among poems about orchids. She had originally wanted to find a poem from the Ming or Qing dynasties, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of one, so she had to use this one instead. Silently praying that Su Shi hadn't been born yet.

  Looking at everyone's reaction again, Ye Qinglan secretly thought it was bad.

  Gu Xiannian was clearly somewhat unexpected, and Ye Qingning and Ye Qingrou were even more surprised. Even Gu Xiyu stared blankly at Ye Qinglan.

  It's done, I hope it won't be exposed!

  Ye Qinglan's heart tightened, and she smiled dryly: "What's wrong, isn't this poem well-written?"

  "Of course not." Ye Qingning quickly interjected: "This poem is extremely well-written." It's even better than Gu Xiannian's one. This is really shocking. Normally, no one has ever heard that Ye Qinglan is good at writing poems...

  Ye Qingrou spoke directly: "Shi Mei, is this poem really written by you? Didn't you copy it from some book?"

  Ye Qinglan suddenly gained confidence upon hearing this and responded with a straight face: "Of course, I thought of it myself. If Eighth Sister doesn't believe me, she can go look at the books herself."

  Ye Qingrou was stunned and didn't ask again.

  Ye Qinglan smiled slightly and looked at Gu Xiannian: "Please ask Brother Gu to comment on how it is?"

  Gu Xiannian smiled quietly and said: "It turns out that Lan's sister has such talent, it seems that today's champion is none other than you."

  Ye Qinglan laughed silently to herself, but on the surface, she pretended to be humble and low-key: "Brother is overpraising me, in my opinion, that poem you wrote earlier was even better!" This feeling of being carefree and relaxed was truly wonderful.

  Mr. Zheng and Mrs. Zheng also came over together, heard the words and smiled: "After all, what poem did you write? Let us open our eyes too." While speaking, they leaned in to take a look.

  Gu Xian's powerful and vigorous grass script is naturally recognizable at a glance. The handwriting of the other one is also very familiar.

  "Isn't this Ning Er's handwriting?"

  Ye Qinglan smiled and replied: "My handwriting is too ugly, so I asked Sixth Sister to write on my behalf."

  Zheng came with great interest, and together with Mrs. Zheng, they carefully read it. The two sisters had been well-read in poetry when they were young, and they had some talent, so naturally they could tell the good from the bad. The more they savored it, the more they were secretly shocked.

  Gu Xian's reputation is well-known, and it's not surprising that he can produce such a poem in such a short time. But Ye Qinglan is just an underage girl, yet she also has such extraordinary talent, which is really unexpected.

  Zheng suppressed his surprise and smiled: "In my opinion, Xiyue's poem is still better."

  "I think Lan's poem is even better." Mrs. Zheng smiled and took over the conversation: "Xi has been reading and writing since she was four years old, and now it's been over a decade. It's not surprising that she can write such a good poem. But Lan, at such a young age, can write such a great poem, it's really rare! Today's poetry champion is indeed Lan, and you shouldn't forget to pick a pot of your favorite orchid to take home later."

  Ye Qinglan humbly declined several times. Ye Qingning and Ye Qingrou on the side were both envious and jealous, their eyes burning with desire.

  At this time, Gu Xiannian came up with a sentence: "Lan sister has such poetic talent, if there is a poetry gathering in the future, please don't hesitate to teach me, Lan sister."

  Ye Qinglan's smile paused for a moment.

  Today's second update! The several orchid poems that appear in this chapter are not original, just take a look, no need to investigate ~ O (n_n) O ~ From tomorrow on, updates will be at 8 am every morning. If there is a double update, the other one will be at 6 pm ~