Rebirth of Bloody Romance

Zhong Yuemin's faith collapsed after hearing what Chen Yijun said, as if the whole world was turned upside down.

Zhong Yuemin was once full of confidence, thinking that after years of exploration and hard work, he had finally achieved some success in calligraphy. However, in the eyes of expert Chen Yijun, these achievements were so fragile that they were easily destroyed.

However, Zhong Yuemin is not a person who easily admits defeat. Deep in his heart, he has a strong spirit of not admitting defeat.

Facing a professional like Chen Yijun, Zhong Yuemin did not choose to escape or argue, but asked her with a humble and learning attitude. "Mom, can you tell me how to practice? Please teach me!"

Chen Yijun raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, and said softly and slowly. "Yuemin, learning calligraphy is not something that can be achieved overnight. Think about it, let's start with the most basic horizontal, vertical, left, and right strokes. According to common sense, if you practice one character every day on average, and there are more than a thousand common Chinese characters, wouldn't it take three years to learn them all? Moreover, regular script and running script each require three years to practice, so it will take six years, not to mention the seal script, official script, and Wei stele scripts! Even if you practice every day, it will take at least ten years to barely get started."

After hearing what Chen Yijun said, Zhong Yuemin's eyes widened like bells and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

Zhong Yuemin felt as if he had heard an absurd joke. He was asked to practice for ten years? How could this be possible? His heart was surging like a raging sea, and he secretly complained in his heart, feeling that this was much more difficult than asking him to climb ten mountains.

"Mom, you are kidding me? Ten years? I'll have to practice until the end of time!" Zhong Yuemin made a bitter face, trying to find a trace of a joke on Chen Yijun's face, but Chen Yijun's expression was unusually serious.

Chen Yijun sighed softly. She knew that Zhong Yuemin came from a self-taught background and had never received orthodox instruction, but that didn't mean he could look down on the art of calligraphy.

"Yuemin, calligraphy is not a joke, it needs time to accumulate and hone its skills. Do you think the calligraphy of those famous masters was achieved overnight? Behind it are decades of hard work." Chen Yijun said earnestly.

"Mom, you're right, I was too impatient. Then...how should I start? Should I just practice the basic strokes like horizontal, left, right, and vertical strokes?" Zhong Yuemin suppressed his previous arrogance and asked seriously.

Chen Yijun nodded, with a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. She could see that although Zhong Yuemin came from a poor family, he was at least willing to learn.

"That's right, start from the basics. Each stroke must be practiced with extreme precision, so that your characters will have flesh and blood. Remember, calligraphy is not just about writing, it's also a process of self-cultivation." Chen Yijun explained patiently.

Zhou Xiaobai couldn't help but laugh when he saw Zhong Yuemin's listless face. He asked with a smile, "Yuemin, are you still writing?"

There was a clear hint of sarcasm in Zhou Xiaobai's voice and a sly gleam in his eyes. He was obviously trying to tease this guy who was always full of energy and confidence.

Zhong Yuemin rolled his eyes in annoyance and waved his hands irritably. "Wife, are you doing this on purpose? If you continue writing this, it will be so embarrassing to post it. Mom, you should write it." There was a hint of helplessness and frustration in his tone, as if he had completely lost confidence in his calligraphy skills.

Zhou Xiaobai laughed even more happily when she heard Zhong Yuemin's words. Her laughter was as clear and melodious as a silver bell, full of joy and happiness. Even Xiao Haichen next to them laughed out loud because of their conversation. His laughter was pure and innocent, making people feel endless warmth.

Little Haichen smiled and ran to Chen Yijun, saying obediently, "Grandma, let me help you." His face was filled with an innocent and lovely smile, and his eyes were shining with anticipation.

Chen Yijun touched Xiao Haichen's head lovingly and smiled gently. "Okay, come, grandma will teach you how to write calligraphy." As she said that, she gently pulled Xiao Haichen's hand and began to patiently teach him how to hold the brush correctly and how to use the strength of his wrist to write beautiful characters.

Zhong Yuemin looked at the rows of couplets written on the ground, and the more he looked at them, the angrier he became. He felt that all his previous efforts had been in vain, and these words were simply a pile of waste.

The more Zhong Yuemin thought about it, the more unwilling he became. He walked over, gathered up the couplets, rolled them into a ball, and then threw them into the trash can.

Zheng Tong, Yuan Jun and Zhang Haiyang were overjoyed when they heard that Zhong Yuemin had suffered setbacks in calligraphy.

As soon as the three entered the room, they saw Zhong Yuemin's frustrated look, and they were all very happy. They were especially happy to see Zhong Yuemin's frustrated look. Zhong Yuemin was always arrogant on weekdays, and now someone could finally put a damper on his arrogance.

Zhang Haiyang even patted Zhong Yuemin on the shoulder pretending to be concerned and asked, "Yuemin, what's wrong with you? Why do you look like an eggplant hit by frost?"

Zheng Tong had sharp eyes and saw the couplet in the trash can at a glance. He pretended to be surprised and said, "Hey! Yuemin, what is this? Why does it look like a couplet to me? Did you write it?"

Yuan Jun also came over and said curiously, "Let me take a look. Is it too ugly to read? You can't stand it yourself?"

Several people gathered around, looked at the couplet written by Zhong Yuemin, and joked with a smile on their faces. "Isn't it well written? Why did you throw it away? What a waste!"

"Not bad, but at least it's better than what my buddy wrote. Yuemin, aren't you being too modest?"

Little Haichen also joined in the fun. He said in a baby voice, "My grandma said my dad's writing is not good, and she asked him to practice for another ten years before he can write again!"

Hahaha.....

Everyone in the room was amused. Although Zhong Yuemin was a little embarrassed, he was also infected by the joyful atmosphere. He smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Yuan Jun coughed and said in a condescending tone, "Yuemin, why are young people so discouraged? Everyone has their own specialties, right? Writing is not our specialty, so there is no need to be too serious about it."

"Fuck you!" Zhong Yuemin replied unhappily, still feeling aggrieved.

"Yuemin, don't be angry. We are gangsters to begin with. We can't become cultured people just because we have studied for a few years, right? We are still the same, we haven't changed!" Zheng Tong consoled him.

"Are you three bastards here to make fun of me on purpose?" Zhong Yuemin glared at them and said angrily.

"Yuemin, if you say that, it will really hurt my feelings!" Zhang Haiyang said pretending to be aggrieved.

"Yes, we are that kind of people, right?" Yuan Jun also echoed. "We are brothers, how can we laugh at you?"

"Get lost!"

The three people were not angry at all. They came happily and left happily.

After Zhou Xiaobai saw the couplets dry, he carefully rolled them up.

Zhong Yuemin couldn't wait to take a look at it, and saw that each character was connected in meaning, with vivid charm and unrestrained style.

Zhong Yuemin had to admit that he could never write this. He couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration in his heart, and was even more impressed by Chen Yijun's calligraphy skills.

At lunch, Zhong Yuemin had no appetite. His mind was full of Chen Yijun's calligraphy, and he felt indescribably frustrated.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiaobai comforted him, "Yuemin, don't be discouraged. How old are you? Mom has been writing for decades. It's normal that you can't compare to her. We will definitely write better than Mom in the future."

Zhong Yuemin rolled his eyes at her and smiled bitterly. "Wife, sometimes you have to admit that there are differences between people. If you set standards for life, this gap is called gap; if you don't, it is called diversity. Day after day of hard work or laziness provides the possibility of choice. Now I understand that the road of calligraphy must be walked slowly and practiced slowly."

Zhou Xiaobai listened, gently held his hand, and said softly, "Yuemin, calligraphy requires time and patience to hone. You have the determination and perseverance, I believe you can write good characters."

On New Year's Eve, the northwest wind howled, bringing a biting cold, and the air was filled with a dry and cold breath. The long icicles hanging from the eaves sparkled in the sun, one or two feet long, like works of art in nature.

The pond in the front yard was also covered with a thick layer of ice, which was more solid than usual. The ice was glowing with a faint blue light, making it look particularly attractive.

Xiao Shihua, Xiao Haichen and the children of Zhou Xiaobai's brother's family could no longer contain their excitement. They ran to the pond and started their ice-skating games.

They were wearing thick cotton coats, colorful gloves and hats, and slid back and forth on the ice, laughing and talking happily, as if even the biting cold was melted by their enthusiasm.

Zhou Liwei from his eldest brother-in-law's family saw Zhong Yuemin standing under the eaves and shouted enthusiastically, "Uncle, come down and play with us! The ice is thick and it will be fun to slide!"

Zhong Yuemin replied speechlessly, "Are you cold? I feel cold just looking at you."

Zhou Libing smiled and replied, "Uncle, we are not cold. We are even sweating! Sliding on the ice is warmer than running!"

Zhong Yuemin felt a little relieved after hearing this. He instructed, "Okay! You two older ones should watch over the younger siblings and make sure they don't fall in. I'm going back to the house. You guys can play for a while and come back to warm up."

"I understand, uncle."

Zhong Yuemin really didn't like staying outdoors for too long. On the one hand, it was because the weather was cold, and on the other hand, the smell of coal slag coming from the stove next door was unbearable for him.

In order to keep warm, many families now light up the foreign stoves that were used fifty or sixty years ago. These stoves use low-quality coal from the Western Hills. Not only is the smoke pungent, but it also drifts high, filling the entire yard with the unpleasant smell.

In addition, some families will burn floor stoves, floor cookers or fire stoves, etc., trying various methods to keep warm.

However, there are not many families like Zhong Yuemin's who can turn on the heating. Therefore, every year some families suffer from gas poisoning due to improper heating.

The neighborhood committee takes this situation very seriously and often sends staff to each household to check heating equipment to ensure the safety of residents. Therefore, the door of Zhong Yuemin's house is knocked on every once in a while, which is the result of the neighborhood committee staff coming to check.

Although the heating methods are different, everyone is working hard to get through this cold winter. Although Zhong Yuemin doesn't like the smell of coal slag, he also understands the helplessness of his neighbors.

Zhong Yuemin thought that perhaps when the weather got warmer, the smell of coal slag would dissipate.

Back in the house, Zhong Yuemin saw his father-in-law Zhou Zhennan and several of his sons sitting there, the atmosphere was as serious as if they were in a meeting. Zhong Yuemin felt depressed just watching them, and was thinking about how to find an excuse to go back to the house to sleep. But he felt that this was inappropriate, after all, today was New Year's Eve, the day for the whole family to reunite.

So, he had no choice but to go to the kitchen to help, trying to find something to do. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked, hoping to find something to do to ease the depressing atmosphere.

Zhou Xiaobai's second sister-in-law Ding Meilan saw him coming in and teased, "Hey! Yuemin, you're still in the kitchen? What can you do?"

Zhong Yuemin immediately perked up when he heard this and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, you don't know this, do you? A man should be able to handle both housework and the kitchen. This is my life motto!"

The eldest sister-in-law was also amused when she heard it. She joked, "Yuemin, this sentence should be about women, right?"

Zhong Yuemin was even more proud when he heard this. "Sister-in-law, you don't know this. Our family is the opposite of others. Xiaobai is in charge of the outside affairs and I am in charge of the inside affairs. To put it bluntly, I am a gigolo. But I have to have some skills, otherwise how can I be worthy of our Xiaobai?"

Hahaha.....

Zhong Yuemin's witty remarks made his uncles and aunts laugh. The uncles in the living room were also stunned, as they usually didn't have so much laughter at home. They watched Zhong Yuemin busy in the kitchen and couldn't help but secretly admire his humor and wit.

Before nightfall, firecrackers began to go off everywhere. The echo in the alley was particularly loud, as if the entire space was echoing with the cheerful sound.

Zhong Yuemin led a group of children to set off firecrackers at the door. They screamed excitedly, covered their ears, and watched the firecrackers crackle and sparks fly.

Xiao Shihua shouted excitedly, "Dad, let's set off fireworks!" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if she had already seen the gorgeous fireworks blooming in the sky.

"Okay, girl." Zhong Yuemin agreed with a smile. He took out a large box of fireworks from the house. This was a surprise for the child.

"Uncle, can you let me release one?" Zhou Liwei asked impatiently, looking at Zhong Yuemin eagerly.

"And my uncle." Zhou Libing also came over. He was also looking forward to setting off fireworks.

"And..." Other children also gathered around, everyone wanted to try the fun of setting off fireworks.

Finally, even Xiao Haichen wanted to try it. He said seriously, "Dad, I want to set off fireworks, too."

Zhong Yuemin looked at the group of excited children, his heart filled with warmth and satisfaction. He nodded. "Okay, okay, everyone come and set off the fireworks. But be careful not to get yourself blown up."

So, a group of children, led by Zhong Yuemin, started a joyful fireworks feast. They laughed and made noises, fireworks bloomed in the sky, and colorful lights reflected on their faces, as if the whole world became colorful.