Chapter 32: Teapot Turmoil
Mo Chen and Xu Lingfeng clearly had a very good relationship.
Xu Lingfeng’s blunt words didn’t anger him; they only brought a look of helplessness to his brows.
“Why is your personality so impatient?”
Mo Chen resignedly stood up from behind the desk and took a few steps toward the door.
Shen Zhouyue involuntarily stepped aside, only to see Mo Chen stop at a side door near the entrance.
He reached out and opened the door.
His hand looked as if it were carved from white jade, fair and delicate.
As a painter, Shen Zhouyue couldn’t help but cast an appreciative gaze upon such beauty.
His gaze lingered on Mo Chen’s hand for a long time.
“How is this painting?”
Mo Chen unfurled the scroll in his hand, displaying it before Shen Zhouyue and Xu Lingfeng.
The scroll depicted a landscape, carrying a sense of vast skies and open clouds.
Just looking at it made one’s mood brighten.
Shen Zhouyue had studied sketching and oil painting. The painting before him was traditional Chinese painting, but art shares commonalities, so he could tell the creator of this piece was no simple figure.
Xu Lingfeng, however, didn’t understand art.
He leaned in next to Mo Chen, took a look, but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
He frowned, raised an eyebrow, and said with a teasing tone, “Just a painting?”
“You have plenty of good stuff on hand; why did you only bring out a painting?”
Mo Chen rolled his eyes at Xu Lingfeng. “You uncultured swine, this painting isn’t cheap.”
“This is an ancient painting with seven or eight hundred years of history. I wouldn’t bring it out for just anyone!”
Mo Chen carefully rolled the painting back up, looking as if he intended to put it away.
Shen Zhouyue quickly stopped him. “I like this painting very much. I wonder if Mr. Mo would be willing to part with it?”
Mo Chen’s eyes held a hint of a smile as he looked at Xu Lingfeng and said, “You don’t know the value, but naturally, someone else does.”
As he spoke, Mo Chen stopped rolling up the scroll and handed it to Shen Zhouyue.
Shen Zhouyue hurriedly reached out to receive it.
This painting was indeed exquisite!
Shen Zhouyue looked at the painting before him, his eyes full of delight!
“How much is this painting?”
Thinking that a suitable gift would take days to find, he hadn’t expected to find something to his liking on the very first day. Shen Zhouyue couldn’t help but widen his eyes, having no energy left for anything else.
But now, he actually felt reluctant to give this painting away as a gift.
“No charge, it’s a gift for you!”
Shen Zhouyue’s eyes widened. He looked at the person in front of him in disbelief, pointing to the painting spread out on the counter. “A gift for me?”
“This painting is so exquisite and has such a long history. The price must not be cheap. Giving it to me like this, won’t you take a loss?”
Mo Chen smiled, his brows relaxing. “It’s better than letting the painting fall into the hands of someone who doesn’t appreciate it.”
“I can see you are also a lover of art. Giving this painting to you ensures it will be properly protected.”
“Space is limited here. In truth, I don’t have the conditions to preserve these items well. Finding a good owner for them counts as a good deed.”
Since Mo Chen put it that way, Shen Zhouyue naturally wouldn’t refuse.
But he planned to find something else as a gift.
Shen Zhouyue wore a happy expression, his fingers gently stroking the scroll. “Then I won’t be polite with Mr. Mo.”
“I will protect this painting well. Please tell me what I need to pay attention to so I can better preserve it.”
Hearing Shen Zhouyue say this, Mo Chen was increasingly satisfied.
He picked up a brush nearby, splashed ink, and quickly wrote down the precautions for maintaining the painting.
The calligraphy was vigorous and flowing; one could see the writer’s character at a glance.
Shen Zhouyue became even more interested in Mo Chen.
He took the light piece of paper and stored it properly with the painting.
Then he said, “I don’t plan to give this painting away as a gift anymore. Now I need to find a new gift for Tingzhou’s father.”
“I heard from Tingzhou that his father likes drinking tea. I wonder if Mr. Mo has a suitable teapot here?”
Looking at Shen Zhouyue’s polite manner, Mo Chen smiled and said, “Just call me by my name; no need to be so polite.”
“I just acquired a teapot a few days ago. It’s crystal clear and perfect for holding in the hand to admire. I’ll bring it out for you to see.”
Mo Chen was very efficient and never dragged his feet. He opened the door in front of him and went in to search for a while.
When he came out, he was holding a teapot that was green throughout.
The teapot was translucent and carved with intricate patterns, looking like a stunning work of art.
Anyone seeing such a teapot wouldn’t think of using it for tea; they would rather enshrine it as an art piece.
Seeing Shen Zhouyue frowning and looking conflicted, Mo Chen guessed his thoughts and smiled. “This teapot isn’t too old, only about two hundred years.”
“Usually, you need to use it often to nurture the pot, but I don’t like tea. In my hands, this teapot can only lie in a dark warehouse. If you like it, give whatever amount you see fit, and consider the teapot yours.”
Mo Chen mentioned money because he was worried Shen Zhouyue wouldn’t accept the teapot after receiving a painting for free.
Shen Zhouyue looked at the teapot, not knowing how much it was worth.
He frowned, feeling that giving too much or too little would be inappropriate. For a moment, he was in a dilemma, not knowing what to do.
Seeing this, Xu Lingfeng wrapped his arm around Shen Zhouyue’s shoulder and teased, “Don’t think about giving him too much money; he’s a master who doesn’t lack money.”
Mo Chen’s gaze landed on the arm Xu Lingfeng had intimately placed on Shen Zhouyue, and the smile on his face suddenly faded a few degrees.
“I have ancient books to restore later, so I don’t have time to entertain you. If there’s nothing else, you can leave now.”
Mo Chen’s sudden eviction order surprised both Shen Zhouyue and Xu Lingfeng, leaving them looking blank.
Xu Lingfeng removed his arm from Shen Zhouyue’s shoulder, walked to Mo Chen, and whispered, “Why are you angry all of a sudden?”
Mo Chen lowered his head, his gaze falling on the half-restored book. “I’m not angry. I really have things to do later.”
Xu Lingfeng looked at Mo Chen’s appearance with a helpless expression.
“Fine, fine. You’ve always been the most stubborn. If you don’t want to talk, no one can make you. Then I won’t disturb you.”
Xu Lingfeng said this and planned to leave with Shen Zhouyue.
Just then, the shop door was pushed open, and a familiar figure appeared in the doorway.
Wen Qiusheng?
What is he doing here?
Shen Zhouyue frowned involuntarily, using Xu Lingfeng’s figure to hide himself completely.
He was a few steps behind Xu Lingfeng, so the movement wasn’t abrupt, and Wen Qiusheng didn’t notice him.
“Boss Mo, I heard you got a new jasper teapot here. Can you bring it out for me to see?”
Wen Qiusheng was also here to buy things today.
And asking for a teapot as soon as he opened his mouth made Shen Zhouyue think a bit more.
Seeing Wen Qiusheng, Mo Chen frowned immediately, obviously not welcoming his arrival.
Seeing that the two knew each other, Xu Lingfeng asked curiously, “Mo Chen, how do you know this great painter? Didn’t you always dislike Western painting?”
Seeing Xu Lingfeng’s attention shift to himself, Mo Chen’s mood instantly improved a bit.
With a gentle smile on his face, he looked at Xu Lingfeng and said, “A friend brought him here before.”
Thinking of the time that friend brought Wen Qiusheng to his shop, Mo Chen couldn’t help but frown, obviously something unpleasant had happened that day.
“Where did you hear that I acquired a teapot?”
Wen Qiusheng seemed not to notice Mo Chen’s attitude toward him and walked forward a few steps with a smile.
The teapot happened to be on the counter, not yet put away, so Wen Qiusheng saw it at a glance.
“Of course, I heard it from a friend.”
“How much for this teapot? I’ll take it!”
Seeing Wen Qiusheng upsetting Mo Chen, Xu Lingfeng immediately said, “This teapot already has an owner. You’re too late.”
Only then did Wen Qiusheng shift his gaze to look at Xu Lingfeng.
“Could the new owner of this teapot be you?”
After all, in Wen Qiusheng’s view, there were only Mo Chen and Xu Lingfeng here. Since it didn’t belong to Mo Chen, it could only belong to Xu Lingfeng.
Without waiting for Xu Lingfeng to speak, he smiled and said, “No one in your family likes teapots. Since we are friends, why don’t you let me have this teapot?”
As Wen Qiusheng spoke, he felt the matter was settled and reached out directly to take the teapot.
Seeing that the teapot was about to be taken by Wen Qiusheng if he didn’t act, Shen Zhouyue immediately stepped out from behind Xu Lingfeng. With a cold face, he said, “The owner of this teapot isn’t him; it’s me.”
Seeing Shen Zhouyue appear, Wen Qiusheng’s face immediately turned very ugly.
He frowned and couldn’t help questioning, “Why are you here?”
“Mr. Wen, is there a need for me to inform you why I am here?”
Shen Zhouyue thought of Wen Qiuning’s timid and fearful appearance, then looked at Wen Qiusheng’s brazen manner before him, feeling increasingly displeased.
He picked up the teapot on the counter directly and said to Mo Chen, “Please find a box to wrap this teapot for me. It looks fragile; I need to be careful.”
Mo Chen didn’t want to sell the teapot to someone like Wen Qiusheng either. Hearing Shen Zhouyue’s words, he didn’t hesitate at all. He found the original box for the teapot, put it inside, wrapped it up, and handed it to Shen Zhouyue.
Wen Qiusheng obviously didn’t want to give up on the teapot. Even though it was already in Shen Zhouyue’s hands, he still said, “Boss Mo, we are old acquaintances. How about giving this teapot to me?”
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