Stay Home Daddy: I Was Reborn After My Daughter Passed Away-Chapter 61 - Sixty-One Amazing Calligraphy_1

But now this ignorant man was going to write couplets for everyone?

This couldn’t be a joke, could it?

Wasting his own ink was one thing, but that red paper costs money!

If the writing went wrong, it wouldn’t just be wasting paper, but money!

“Chenzi, writing couplets isn’t an easy task, there are many things to pay attention to, you…”

Seeing Teacher Li speaking like this.

Gu Chen got it.

They didn’t believe him.

But that was normal, given that he hadn’t exactly been responsible before.

It would be abnormal if they did believe him.

Gu Chen smiled, “How about this, Madam Li, cut out a square piece of paper for me, I will write the character for ‘fortune’, and Teacher Li, you can see if it’s acceptable!”

Seeing Gu Chen so confident, Teacher Li was now somewhat dubious.

He glanced at Madam Li, “Child’s mother, do as Chenzi suggests.”

Others might not know, but he was quite aware.

In the couplets, the character ‘fortune’ has its own significance.

For ‘fortune’, the first stroke is a dot, representing the ‘side’ in The Eight Principles of Yong, as if a bird tilts and swoops down.

Start with a reverse stroke slightly upwards before pressing down, then lift slightly.

Then come the principles of ‘le’ and ‘lue,’ beginning with a reverse stroke, turning to the right, with a brief pause at the bend, then sweeping straight down, “like using a comb to arrange hair.”

Writing the character ‘fortune’ well is a true test of skill.

If one can write this character well, the rest usually follows easily, presenting no difficulties.

Madam Li agreed and took out a sheet of big red paper from the cabinet.

The moment the cabinet opened, Gu Chen was stunned.

The cabinet was almost filled with red paper!

Wow, how many couplets could one write with all of that?

“In past years, not only our village but also those from neighboring villages would come to buy them.”

Madam Li sighed.

Writing couplets was a way to make money; although it was just once a year, it brought in a good sum—easily several hundred yuan.

It could support a family for two to three months without an issue.

Gu Chen patted Tangtang’s little head and smiled at Ji Pianran.

“Keep an eye on Tangtang, there are many people around. Be careful to avoid any bumps or scrapes.”

Madam Li placed the red paper on the table and took out a brush and inkstone.

Only then did she look towards Gu Chen, “Come on.”

Gu Chen nodded, walked over to the wooden table, then picked up the brush and began to write on the red paper.

Truth be told, Gu Chen had learned to write with a brush when he was a child at school.

But the extent of what he’d learned…

Was just how to hold the brush.

One could say, other than the posture for holding the brush, he really hadn’t learned anything.

But now he had Intermediate Calligraphy skills in him.

All the forms of the characters in calligraphy seemed to be imprinted in his mind—it was like a divine power guided his hand as he wrote.

With the sinuous movements of his brush, the character for “fortune” appeared on the paper with vigor and strength.

It was stunningly beautiful.

After placing the brush on the inkstone, Gu Chen carefully blew the ink on the paper dry before presenting it to Teacher Li.

“Teacher Li, take a look. Is this acceptable?” he asked.

Because of his astonishment, Teacher Li’s eyes suddenly widened—he had not anticipated this at all.

Gu Chen could actually write with a brush!

And he wrote so well—it was even better than his own handwriting!

Such skill couldn’t be achieved without decades of practice!

“Did you study it somewhere when you were a child?” Teacher Li wondered aloud.

Gu Chen laughed modestly. “Honestly, as everyone knows, I’m not originally from our village. I’m from the next one over. There was an old man who lived next to us who would handle funeral ceremonies.”

“People in the village were afraid of him, but I wasn’t, maybe because I was young. Eventually, the old man taught me quite a bit, and I practiced with him for many years.”

Gu Chen was able to lie without the slightest hint of a blush or a thump in his chest.

His story sounded utterly convincing.

He turned a tale about sneaking into the old man’s house to steal honey into one about learning calligraphy.

With this explanation, Teacher Li finally understood.

No wonder then. Among those who managed funerals, there were many who could write well, and some who could write exceptionally beautifully.

He nodded with recognition and respect apparent in his eyes.

“Good, very good! The writing is truly impressive!” he exclaimed.

Gu Chen smiled. “How about this—I’ll write for everyone. Do you think that’s okay?”

After all, it was almost New Year’s, and each household needed a couplet to celebrate. Moreover, writing them himself would be much more cost-effective than having Lei Bo buy them in the city.

Three yuan each? He didn’t even want to spend thirty cents!

The prices were absurdly inflated!

When Teacher Li heard that Gu Chen was willing to help write couplets, he quickly nodded in agreement, “That would be great, it could save us a lot of trouble.”

Although he would miss out on some extra income this year, the villagers had always come to him for their couplets. Not being able to write them himself this year had caused some inconvenience, and he did feel somewhat guilty about it.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.

Now that Gu Chen had offered to write, it was a big relief for him.

Gu Chen nodded. “Okay, then let’s do this. Two yuan per pair—since I’m not you and can’t write as well as you do, it doesn’t feel right to charge too much.”

The calligraphy that Gu Chen learnt was courtesy of the system, smooth and powerful, certainly looking better than anything written by Teacher Li.

He was being modest primarily out of respect for Teacher Li, who was indeed a respected educator, having taught many successful students. Not all teachers of the era could be said to be diligent and responsible.

But at the very least, they didn’t casually set up tutoring classes to make more money; and even if they did, they offered them for free.

Moreover, Teacher Li and Madam Li had helped Ji Pianran in the past.

Therefore, Gu Chen held the utmost respect for Teacher Li.

Teacher Li wasn’t foolish; he could see that Gu Chen’s writing was much better than his own and understood that Gu Chen’s modesty was for his sake.

He chuckled. “To be honest, the writing is excellent. Since I can no longer write, how much you want to charge is up to you.”

Hearing this, Madam Li snorted. She had seen Gu Chen’s writing clearly—it far surpassed her husband’s, and just for that single character, it was worth a whole lot more.

It should be at least four yuan!

Plus, Gu Chen’s family wasn’t wealthy; earning an extra yuan was still something.

“Chenzi, don’t listen to his nonsense. You should charge four yuan!” she said.

Gu Chen looked at Madam Li with a warm smile. “Madam, I’m going to need your help collecting the money later.”

Gu Chen knew that Madam Li had been kind to Ji Pianran.

He also knew that writing couplets could bring a significant income to Teacher Li’s family.

He insisted on two yuan because Ji Pianran had borrowed money from many people in the village in the past, which meant a lot of them had helped him.

So he wanted to offer everyone a discount.

The remaining two yuan, though not a lot, could help Teacher Li’s family celebrate the New Year.

As for himself, he truly didn’t want a single cent.

He was already wealthy by the standards of the time and saw no reason to spend an entire morning just to earn a few hundred yuan.