Old Man Gu's laughter subsided as he picked up a hanging brush and dipped it in ink. "It's wonderful, just wonderful, that a little girl like you is so eager to learn."
Ye Qianning watched as Old Man Gu's brush descended, writing a large character with flourishes like dancing dragons and phoenixes. The strokes were powerful and the form was beautiful, but she had no idea what it was.
"See? Now *this* is what I call a character," Old Man Gu said with a chuckle, setting down his brush.
'His writing is the real chicken scratch,' Ye Qianning thought.
Seeing her confused expression, Old Man Gu's eyes crinkled in a smile. "You don't recognize it, do you? Hehe. This character is pronounced 'ái'."
"Ái?"
Ye Qianning stared at it for a long time but couldn't see any resemblance. The character was written in a purely calligraphic style that she truly couldn't decipher.
