Seeing the situation, Xu Nian’an stepped forward gracefully and said to everyone, “Look at our Sanlang, neither skilled in poetry nor willing to dampen everyone’s spirits. He is so ashamed that his face has turned red.”

The people around, including Lu Langzhong, couldn’t help but smile at her words.

Xu Nian’an continued, “Since Zufu wants to take all Yeye (grandfather) and Bobo (uncles) to the garden to write poetry, the poetry topics must be related to the scenery in the garden. Today, back in my home, my younger brother heard that Sanlang once learned painting. So, he asked him to paint a picture, also of the garden scenery. However, due to the rush of time, the painting is rough and crude. One afraid of it being laughed at by the elders.”

“It’s all just for fun, not like competing for the Zhuangyuan. Where is the painting? Bring it here for me to see,” said Guogong Yé.

状元 - Number One Scholar (title conferred on the one who came first in the highest Imperial Examination)

Xu Nian’an turned and called Yisu, who then presented the painting.

Guogong Yé unfolded the painting, and Lu Langzhong and the others leaned in to take a look, marvelling, “Where is it rough? The painting is very well done!”

“It depicts the Zhilan Hall in the garden; at a single glance, it is as if Zhilan Hall is right before one’s eyes. It is extremely vivid.”

“Look at how the mountains are painted with a solemn and simple style, the water flows leisurely. The entire painting gives a very calm feeling, quite reminiscent of the style of Ju Ran.”

巨然 - a painter and Buddhist monk who excelled in painting landscapes. One of the Four Great Masters Jing, Guan, Dong, Ju mentioned in Chapter 16.

“The Zhilan Hall is also painted with great delicacy and elegance, exquisitely lifelike. It resembles the style of Ma Qinshan from the Southern Song Dynasty.”

Ma Qinshan (马钦山): This likely refers to Ma Yuan (whose style is often grouped with the "Ma-Xia" school). He was a famous Southern Song dynasty painter known for "One-Corner Ma" compositions—highly detailed, elegant, and often focusing on specific architectural structures or trees within a landscape.

Everyone praised Zhao Huanxi’s painting, one after another. Zhao Huanxu stepped forward to take a closer look, then after examining the painting, he glanced at Zhao Huanxi with a serious expression, but remained silent.

“Since your wife’s younger brother asked you to paint this, how did he comment on it after you finished?” Guogong Yé asked Zhao Huanxi.

Blushing, Zhao Huanxi answered honestly, “He said the painting is passable, but the calligraphy is lacking, and he told me to go back and practice calligraphy properly.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Lu Langzhong stroked his beard and said, “This comment is indeed very pertinent.”

Zhao Huanxi hurriedly said, “Then I won’t join in the poetry writing. I’ll go back and practice calligraphy.”

Guogong Yé readily agreed, “Go ahead.”

Feeling as if granted a general amnesty, Zhao Huanxi bowed to everyone and then quickly ran off with Xu Nian’an.

Once they entered the back courtyard and couldn’t see Guogong Yé and the others, Zhao Huanxi breathed a sigh of relief. He asked the maidservants to go back to Shenhui Courtyard first, while he and Xu Nian’an walked behind. He sighed, “Fortunately, you were here today. Otherwise, I would have been dragged by Zhao Huanxu to the garden to embarrass myself and anger Zufu. He loves doing that.”

“If you know he loves doing this, why don’t you come up with a countermeasure? Every time you encounter this, you just let him have his way?” Xu Nian’an asked.

“He always puts things in such a way that it’s hard to argue back. If you don’t argue, it’s not right, but if you do, it’s also not right. Like today, he clearly saw that I didn’t want to write poetry and that I couldn’t write poetry, yet he insisted that not going would dampen everyone’s spirits. What else could I say?” Zhao Huanxi said indignantly.

“You should tell him the truth,” Xu Nian’an stopped and looked at Zhao Huanxi. “I think you misunderstand the reason for Zufu’s displeasure. If you think he would be unhappy because you can’t write poetry, can’t write essays, or aren’t as good at studying as Zhao Huanxu, then you are wrong. The Zhao Family comes from a military background, and Zufu himself is a warrior. Even though he enjoys literature, he would never hold his descendants to the standards of a literary family. If his descendants are good at studying, he naturally feels happy, but he would never be unhappy just because someone isn’t good at studying.”

Zhao Huanxi puzzled, “But in the past, whenever such situations arose, he would be unhappy, give me a bad look, and even scold me.”

“That’s because you don’t have an attitude, no determination, and you shrink back like a coward. You clearly want to refuse, but you don’t even have the courage to say the word ‘no’. Zufu is a seasoned warrior, the most spirited man under heaven. Do you think he would be happy to see his eldest legitimate grandson being so timid? He won’t be pleased.”

Zhao Huanxi fell silent.

“Next time you encounter such a situation, just tell Zufu directly that you’re not good at literary pursuits, going there won’t add to the enjoyment, and it would be better for you to go back to your room to practice calligraphy or read more books. As long as your attitude is respectful and sincere, Zufu won’t blame you. If Zhao Huanxu insists, emphasize your position again and apologize to them. Zufu is a wise man; he will stand up for you.”

Zhao Huanxi lifted his gaze, hopeful yet skeptical. “Really?”

“Why don’t you try it next time and see for yourself?” Xu Nian’an took a step forward, continuing on.

“Why didn’t you use this approach just now? Why did you mention your younger brother instead?” Zhao Huanxi followed along, hesitating.

Xu Nian’an sighed. “The words I taught you earlier can only be said by you. If you were there but didn’t speak for yourself and instead made me speak for you, wouldn’t Zufu be even angrier? So, I could only try to change the subject to give you a chance to escape. Later, when Zhao Huanxu caught up with you and you were blushing and unable to speak, I had to make a joke to help you out and say what you should have said.”

Zhao Huanxi’s face blushed slightly again as he whispered, “Thank you.”

After walking side by side for a while, Zhao Huanxi asked again, “Then why did you mention the painting to Zufu? Lu Langzhong and the others are knowledgeable. If they think my painting is not good, wouldn’t that make Zufu even angrier?”

Xu Nian’an smiled but remained silent.

“Ei? Why aren’t you saying anything? Come on, say it.” Zhao Huanxi became more curious, sensing there might be some subtlety in her silence.

As they walked, Xu Nian’an turned her head slightly to look at him and asked, “Do you know what kind of rumors I heard about you when I was at home?”

Zhao Huanxi hesitated for a moment and replied, “I… I don’t think they would be good.”

“You do have some self-awareness,” Xu Nian’an chuckled behind her handkerchief. Looking around and seeing no one nearby, she whispered, “I heard that at ten years old, you needed someone to feed you, at twelve you still wet the bed, and at fifteen, you would cry and look for your mother when it rained and thundered. You’re neither scholarly nor martially inclined, nothing about you is good. People inside and outside the residence all call you ‘Heaven-Blessed Child’—but the ‘blessed’ is for ‘spoiled’.”

She was making a pun here. The original phrase was the idiom 天之骄子 (tiān zhī jiāo zǐ) which means "Heaven's favored son" or a "darling of fortune" (successful, proud). But she uses 娇 (jiāo) instead, which sounds the same but means "delicate", "dainty", or "spoiled". So it became "Heaven-Spoiled Child".

Zhao Huanxi suddenly stopped in his tracks, his cheeks flushing purple, his eyes full of spring water, showing a mixture of anger and annoyance, but he didn’t speak up to refute her.

“During these few days of getting to know you, I naturally understand that you are not like that. But others don’t know, right? So, that painting, if it was Zhao Huanxu who presented it, perhaps Zufu, Lu Langzhong, and the others would only find it ordinary, after all, his reputation precedes him. But if it’s presented by you, compared to your past reputation, wouldn’t that painting be considered extraordinary?” Xu Nian’an didn’t try to comfort him either. After saying this, she continued to walk ahead on her own.

Zhao Huanxi followed her slowly.

After walking for a while, he suddenly asked in a low voice, “So, back then in the flower field, is that why you agreed so readily to pretend to be my wife?”

Xu Nian’an turned to look at him, her eyes probing. “Why do you always dwell on this? When you came to see me back then, wasn’t it to explain that you didn’t want to marry me? Since you didn’t want to marry me, and we have no past relationship, I suggested that we pretend to be husband and wife for the sake of both families’ reputation. Is that so strange?”

Zhao Huanxi lowered his head, his voice barely audible. “Not strange.”

“Alright, stop looking unhappy. Let’s go to Mother’s courtyard and tell her we’re back. If you keep this expression, Mother might think that the Xu family is bullying you.” Xu Nian’an came over and tugged at his sleeve.

Zhao Huanxi suddenly realized. “Oh right, if you show the painting to Zufu and the others, won’t Mother know that I’ve been painting again?”

“You took the painting to my house today for my younger brother to critique. Nuanxing, Xiaowei, Zhiyi and Zhi’er were also there. And you still want to hide it from your mother?”

Zhao Huanxi said angrily, “If they dare to betray me, I won’t keep them around!”

“Their contracts are held by Mother, and their monthly allowances are issued by her. She also assigned them to serve you. If they are not loyal to Mother, would they be loyal to you? Even if they are loyal to you, what’s the use? When a crisis comes, can you protect them?”

Zhao Huanxi couldn’t come up with a reply. He turned his back to Xu Nian’an and said stubbornly, “Why do you always speak up for others?”

“I’m not speaking up for others. I’m just stating common truths. People always seek benefits and avoid harm. When you interact with others in the future, think more about their vulnerabilities, and you’ll suffer less.” Xu Nian’an came over and pulled Zhao Huanxi’s sleeve. “When we get to Mother’s, don’t bring up the painting first. If Mother mentions it, say that my younger brother asked you to paint. Don’t be nervous. Act like you don’t care and focus on practicing calligraphy.”

After a while, the two arrived at Jiaxiang House. Yin Furen had already received the news and, seeing that Zhao Huanxi didn’t mention it himself, she asked about the painting. Zhao Huanxi answered as Xu Nian’an instructed, and Yin Furen was indeed very pleased. She asked what they would like for dinner and let them eat the walnut paste in her room before leaving.

“I know why you taught me to answer my mother that way. She not only wants me to please Zufu but also hopes I can outshine Zhao Huanxu. A painting might impress Zufu, but it wouldn’t be enough to surpass Zhao Huanxu. In contrast, calligraphy practice is seen as a serious matter by my mother, while painting is considered a dubious pursuit. She would be happy to see me not complacent about receiving praise for a dubious pursuit but instead focused on more serious matters.” After leaving Jiaxiang House, Zhao Huanxi jumps in front of Xu Nian’an, facing her as he walks backward, explaining this to her.

Xu Nian’an praised him without hesitation. “Sanlang is truly intelligent. Given time, he will surely achieve great things!”

Zhao Huanxi, after hearing Xu Nian’an’s praise, lifted his chin high, turned around, and walked with his head held high, looking like a rooster patrolling its territory preparing to crow.

Xu Nian’an found it funny and asked, “Since Sanlang is ready to practice calligraphy, how many characters do you plan to write each day?”

Zhao Huanxi thought for a moment. Since the 《Memorial for Nephew》 she asked him to practice was only about two to three hundred characters in total, writing it twice a day would be enough, right?

“Let’s practice 600 characters,” he said.

Xu Nian’an was slightly surprised. “Xu Xuan, a famous statesman of the Southern Tang dynasty, was skilled in calligraphy. I heard that in his childhood, he used to write 5,000 characters a day. You’re only doing 600. Is the gap between painters and calligraphers this huge?”

Zhao Huanxi was once again stumped by her question.

Without saying much, Xu Nian’an turned and walked towards Shenhui Courtyard.

“Then, how about I practice 1,000 characters?”

“A mediocre painter.”

“2,000 characters?”

“A third-rate painter.”

“3,000 characters?”

“Still a third-rate painter.”

Zhao Huanxi complained, “I added a thousand characters, why am I still a third-rate painter?”

“You look so unwilling. Even if you write 3,000 characters a day, or even 10,000 characters, as long as you do it half-heartedly, you won’t make any progress. Of course, your future achievements have nothing to do with me. If it weren’t for my house and shop, I wouldn’t bother with you,” Xu Nian’an leisurely said.

Zhao Huanxi got so angry that he shouted, “I will write some good characters that will leave you speechless! Hmph!” He then left Xu Nian’an behind and ran back to Shenhui Courtyard.

Xu Nian’an watched Zhao Huanxi run off and couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. She thought: Dealing with you is like playing with counting (abacus) beads. I can twist you however I want.

Back at Shenhui Courtyard, Zhao Huanxi had already gone to the study to practice calligraphy. Xu Nian’an didn’t go to find him but instead took some books from her box and sat by the window to read.

The two maids Yisu and Mingli came in to accompany her, one doing embroidery and the other making flower buttons (pankou).

In the courtyard, voices could be faintly heard. Mingli looked up and saw Xiaoying leading Zhao Yujie towards the study.

“San Yé just came back, his seat’s not even warm yet, and now Da Shaoyé from next door is looking for him. Could it be that they’ve been keeping an eye on him all along?” Mingli rolled her eyes towards the courtyard.

Xu Nian’an smiled faintly, leisurely turning a page. “Just focus on your buttons. We shouldn’t meddle in things that don’t concern us.”

“You might want to stay out of trouble, but it seems you can’t,” Mingli pouted.

Xu Nian’an glanced out the window and saw Zhao Huanxi hurrying towards the main room with a piece of paper in his hand.