Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 692 - 0692: Gift Character Group Photo 3_1

Chapter 692: Chapter 0692: Gift Character Group Photo 3_1

Xibao lifted her chubby face upon hearing the elder leader mention her name, responding with an "Ah?"

"I’m not talking to you, kiddo!" The elder leader retracted his hand from Lu Zhiyuan’s shoulder, gently patted Xibao’s head, and said to Lu Zhiyuan, "Indeed, debt can’t just be written off. Sparing every needle and thread of the common people is the purpose of our army and also our nation. It is a tenet that everyone must obey."

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "If you really want to repay the debt, I have a suggestion."

"What kind of suggestion?" After the elder leader finished asking, he continued speaking, "Give me some time, Comrade Lu. It will take a while for me to gather such a large sum of money. Let alone commodities, the gold you loaned to the country alone, calculated at the market price of five bucks per gram, would exceed my writing earnings by more than a thousand times over."

"It won’t take up much of your time, probably just an hour at most!"

On purpose, Mr. Lu paused for a moment, eliciting eager queries from both the elder leader and Wang Xinsheng. The latter impatiently prompted, "Comrade Lu, what is the method? Stop keeping us in suspense."

Lu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Our respected leader is so talented, his calligraphy is simply worth its weight in gold. Who in this world does not know this? Who doesn’t take pride in owning a written treasure from our respected leader? When I received a letter from our respected leader, I cherished it as a precious artifact, wishing to frame it on the wall for daily admiration. Based on the valuation of gold per character, our respected leader is not our debtor. But well, having loaned so much money and materials, our respected leader should give some interest. How about delivering me another one of your written treasures?"

The elder leader and Wang Xinsheng both were taken aback. The latter thought to himself, "Brilliant! This is a truly ingenious plan."

That move was killer.

The elder leader uncertainly asked, "Use my writing to repay the debt?"

"It is worth gold per character. In the end, our house would be benefiting. A poem by you can be worth tens, even hundreds of bars of gold." Lu Zhiyuan said with a beaming smile, considering that money is the root of all evil for his family, while the elder leader’s written treasures are talismans, "I really enjoy your ’Prelude to the Water Melody,’ especially the line: ’Of all the fine sights, this is the finest today.’"

The elder leader immediately took them to his study. As soon as he laid out a sheet of xuan paper, Wang Xinsheng rushed forward to grind the ink. With one stroke, the elder leader completed the ’Prelude to the Water Melody.’ The ink was still wet; the characters danced like dragons and phoenixes, exuding an aura of mastery.

"Beautiful calligraphy! Truly worth its weight in gold!" Lu Zhiyuan exclaimed nonstop.

Handing the brush to Lu Zhiyuan, the elder leader remarked, "How can I dare claim to stand alongside Wang Xizhi? The world praises me too excessively. Come on, I know your calligraphy and painting are both extraordinary. You have the ability to create a scene of bountiful harvest on paper with only a few strokes that brings joy to people’s hearts. For once, please leave a treasure for me as well."

Wang Xinsheng shifted the paper with the elder leader’s writing to one side, and laid down a new sheet.

After a brief contemplation, Lu Zhiyuan’s brush danced like a dragon and serpent on the paper. What he wrote were the same verses from the elder leader, with not a single mistake, showing his deep respect for the leader.

"This is just a petty trick. I hope not to embarrass myself in front of you, respected leader." After signing his name, Lu Zhiyuan put down the brush.

Old leader compared the two pieces of paper, scrutinized them for a while, and finally said, "A notch above me indeed. It’s typical of a talented person to stand tall. Xiao Tang, get someone to have Lu’s piece framed, and hang it in my study."

"Yes, sir."

Afterwards, the elder leader engaged Lu Zhiyuan in a lengthy conversation on past and present matters, seemingly friendlier than ever before, even asking a photographer to take a commemorative picture of them, a proposal put forth by the elder leader himself.

... Skipping a few Chapters, it is getting late. I will update at twelve o’clock, please vote.