The cold wind rustled outside.
A man in military uniform entered the house, immediately enveloped by the warmth from the heating.
The nanny stepped forward.
The man had exceptionally striking features, with a pair of deep, dark eyes. His presence was restrained yet impressive, and there was an unmistakable air of distinction about him.
Wasn’t this the Zhou family’s youngest son, Zhou Hanzhang?
Chen Ma looked at him in surprise and raised her head.
“Xiao Jiu, why did you suddenly come back? The old master didn’t even tell me.”
Zhou Hanzhang was the ninth child in the Zhou family. Chen Ma had been with the family for many years and had always been responsible for taking care of Old Master Zhou. To Zhou Hanzhang, she was practically an elder as well.
Chen Ma took his coat from him. Zhou Hanzhang glanced toward the inside of the house and asked calmly, “It sounds pretty lively in there?”
Chen Ma smiled. “Jixue is here. You met her when you were little.”
She paused before continuing, “Something happened to the Meng family, so the old master wants to help them. The two families are arranging a marriage, and Jixue came here today to choose a husband. If you ask me, Jixue is a wonderful girl. Whoever marries her will be getting a great deal.”
It was obvious that Chen Ma liked Meng Jixue very much.
Zhou Hanzhang’s expression barely changed as he gave a quiet hum.
When Chen Ma was about to go inside and announce his arrival, Zhou Hanzhang stopped her.
“I came back to get something. Once I’ve got it, I’ll leave.”
His eldest sister-in-law had been introducing women to him more and more frequently lately.
Zhou Hanzhang found it annoying, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop her outright. After all, she had raised him. All he could do was avoid her.
This time, he had learned that his eldest sister-in-law wasn’t at the old residence, so he had taken the opportunity to come back.
Once inside, Zhou Hanzhang intended to wait until no one was paying attention before going upstairs to get his things. But then, with an inadvertent glance, he happened to see the young woman standing before the writing desk among the crowd.
His footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.
Meng Jixue put down her brush.
Everyone stepped forward to admire the painting.
In the large area of blank space on the original painting, Meng Jixue had used light ink to paint surging waves of clouds. With an extremely fine brush, she then outlined several faint streaks of lightning.
The eagle that had once seemed uncertain of which sky it would soar through now appeared amid the creation of heaven and earth, fearless beneath flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.
With only a few strokes, she had filled in more than just the scenery. She had created a scene that perfectly merged with the eagle’s imposing spirit, bringing an overwhelming sense of grandeur and magnificence.
The first person to be captivated was Zhou Mingyuan, who was standing closest to her.
He didn’t know much about traditional Chinese painting, though he understood a little.
But for someone as young as Meng Jixue to create such a breathtaking painting was truly astonishing. He couldn’t help sighing as he quietly said to his younger brother Zhou Mingda, “Look at Jixue’s control of the brush and the state of mind behind her painting. Even after everything that has happened to the Meng family, there’s an even greater sense of steadiness in her brushwork. As expected of someone who comes from a true family tradition of painting. That pride in her bones is something she could never lose.”
The admiration in his voice was almost overflowing.
If his earlier friendliness toward Meng Jixue had merely been out of consideration for the relationship between the two families, then what he was saying now came straight from the heart.
Zhou Mingda didn’t understand things like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If someone asked him what was fashionable these days, however, he could probably name a few things.
But just now, when Meng Jixue had lowered her eyes, her dark hair held up by a wooden hairpin, a loose strand had lazily brushed across her cheek.
As she worked with the brush and paper, her whole person seemed as fluid and graceful as flowing clouds and water.
Compared with the painting itself, Zhou Mingda felt that Meng Jixue was even more captivating.
Now that his elder brother was speaking so enthusiastically beside him, Zhou Mingda merely gave a few perfunctory “Mm, mm, mm” responses, his eyes remaining fixed on Meng Jixue.
Zhou Qirui from the Fourth Branch was cheerful and outgoing. The moment he saw the painting, he couldn’t help exclaiming, “Wow, Jixue, your painting is incredible! Look at those clouds. They look like they’re about to come alive and sweep people away!”
“You’ve really been hiding this talent! The last time I saw you paint was when you were a little girl. You’re so much better now. It looks amazing. You have to paint one for your big brother sometime. I bet it could be worth quite a bit of money.”
Meng Jixue merely smiled and readily agreed. “Sure. Just come ask me for one when you have time, Qirui.”
Seeing how everyone was admiring her, Zhou Zhishu grew increasingly anxious.
Hadn’t everyone been rather cold toward Meng Jixue before?
Especially Zhou Mingda. Just last night, he had complained to Zhou Zhishu about it. He had said that this was a new era and they were still trying to arrange a feudal marriage. He absolutely wouldn’t submit to it.
Those words had made Zhou Zhishu extremely happy. At least one competitor had been eliminated.
But who could have known that now, Zhou Mingda’s gaze toward Meng Jixue would be so heated?
And then there was Zhou Qirui, someone who barely even took his job seriously. Did he really think he was qualified to compete with him for his future wife?
Zhou Zhishu absolutely had to marry Meng Jixue.
At that moment, he was like a tomcat whose fur had been completely puffed up. He immediately jumped in and said, “Jixue’s paintings are extremely valuable. She’s a descendant of the Meng family’s artistic tradition. Anyone who gets one should be burning incense and thanking the heavens. Painting is exhausting, so Qirui, don’t make things difficult for her.”
Zhou Qirui froze, wondering if Zhou Zhishu had lost his mind.
He was the one asking for a painting, and the artist herself didn’t mind. Yet Zhou Zhishu was the one jumping in to defend her.
Then, seeing Zhou Zhishu’s reaction, Zhou Qirui thought about it for a moment and immediately understood.
So this idiot thought he wanted to marry Meng Jixue?
Zhou Qirui had no such intention. He was more concerned with figuring out ways to make money. But seeing Zhou Zhishu acting like this, he suddenly felt unwilling to let him have his way.
His eyes turned, and a mischievous idea came to him.
With a grin, he said, “Once Jixue chooses me, I’ll be able to have as many paintings as I want. Why would I need you to stand up for me, Zhishu? Jixue, don’t you agree?”
Zhou Zhishu stared at him in disbelief. He immediately hurried over to Meng Jixue’s side and said eagerly, “Jixue, don’t listen to Qirui. He has absolutely no interest in you. I asked him myself this morning.”
Seeing this, Zhou Qirui became even more determined not to let Zhou Zhishu have his way. He moved to Meng Jixue’s other side and competed with him for her attention, deliberately trying to outshine him.
Because Meng Jixue had revealed such impressive talent, and now two men were openly competing for her, she suddenly became even more sought after simply because there was competition.
The other brothers, with the exception of Zhou Weicheng from the First Branch, all gathered around her as well.
Meng Jixue hadn’t expected things to develop this way.
Just as she was about to speak, Second Aunt’s surprised voice suddenly caught her attention.
“Hanzhang, why did you come back?”