Meng Jixue forced herself to remain calm. She then raised her eyes and met his gaze openly before suddenly smiling. “Uncle, you’re being too modest. In the art of calligraphy and painting, the most important thing is the flow of spirit. The energy in this half finished painting of yours is already fully connected, and its charm is already vivid. It only lacks a little refinement of artistic conception. I was merely showing off in front of an expert. If my additions have left you dissatisfied, then that would truly be my fault.”
Zhou Hanzhang glanced at her. “The Meng family’s mastery of traditional Chinese painting is truly that of a great master. Just as Father said, it is my honor that you were able to complete my painting.”
He shifted his gaze back to the painting.
To be fair, Meng Jixue’s additions to the painting could be called perfect.
Even he could not find anything to criticize. He certainly could not lose his temper simply because his skills were inferior to hers.
Zhou Hanzhang was not the kind of person who would do such a thing.
However, when Zhou Hanzhang looked at Meng Jixue again, there was a hint of helplessness in his voice. “Although we haven’t seen each other for many years, I still remember you when you were little. You weren’t nearly this polite when you talked to me back then. I’m still your uncle, so you don’t have to be so reserved around me.”
Although they had rarely seen each other over the years, Zhou Hanzhang had been exceptionally admitted to a military academy without an entrance examination when he was sixteen. After that, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the military and rarely even returned home. But before then, he had still met Meng Jixue several times, even when they were children.
At this point, Old Master Zhou also said, “Your uncle is right, Jixue. You’ll be marrying into the Zhou family in the future. I won’t make any promises about other things, but if anyone ever bullies you, go to your uncle. He’ll definitely stand up for you. After all, he even looked after you when you were little.”
Actually, Meng Jixue did not remember much about what had happened when she was young. After all, those memories belonged to two lifetimes ago.
Naturally, she had no recollection of whether Zhou Hanzhang had ever looked after her.
However, Old Master Zhou’s words gave Meng Jixue an excuse to get closer to Zhou Hanzhang, so she readily agreed.
With Zhou Hanzhang’s return, the old residence naturally became lively.
Aunt Chen and the several daughters-in-law of the Zhou family all went to the kitchen to keep busy, while the living room split into two groups.
One group consisted of the elders, while the other was made up of the younger generation.
The elders gathered around a table of their own, leaving the central area of the living room to the younger ones.
This was also meant to give Meng Jixue an opportunity to choose a husband.
Now that her intended target had appeared, how could Meng Jixue still be interested in these inexperienced young men? So whenever Zhou Zhishu and the others came over to talk to her, she merely brushed them off perfunctorily.
Out of the corner of her eye, Meng Jixue glanced toward Zhou Hanzhang, who was sitting in the very center on the other side.
She wondered how she could find a chance to be alone with this man.
Seeing that Meng Jixue seemed uninterested in everything, Guo Huixiu came over and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? You haven’t taken a fancy to a single one of them?”
Meng Jixue withdrew her gaze and smiled helplessly. “Sister-in-law, if you’re asking me that, I’d offend someone no matter how I answer.”
Guo Huixiu sat down beside her and took the initiative to say, “Jixue, what do you think of Weicheng? This boy may not have achieved much, but he’s still good looking, and he can even play the accordion. If you marry him, he definitely wouldn’t dare bully you. Your eldest aunt and I wouldn’t let him get away with it.”
Looking at Guo Huixiu’s bright, expectant eyes as she eagerly tried to play matchmaker, Meng Jixue did not know whether to laugh or cry.
She knew that Guo Huixiu liked her. The two had a good relationship. Although they were twelve years apart, they got along very well and always had plenty to talk about. Guo Huixiu, however, did not get along nearly as well with her other sister-in-law. In fact, every time they met, Guo Huixiu ended up at a disadvantage, yet she could never win an argument against the other woman.
Meng Jixue had lost count of how many times she had listened to Guo Huixiu complain about it.
If Meng Jixue could get together with Zhou Weicheng, Guo Huixiu would feel that she finally had someone on her side.
But Meng Jixue knew that her Weicheng brother had no romantic interest in her at all. He was secretly dating someone right now.
Once his girlfriend was revealed, Zhou Weicheng would even have a huge fight with his family, causing quite a commotion. Unfortunately, things would not end particularly well.
At the moment, Meng Jixue already had enough problems of her own. She had no energy to meddle in other people’s affairs. She only hoped to avoid getting involved in too many troubles. Once her own problems were resolved, she could remind Guo Huixiu about it. As for everything else, it would not be appropriate for her to interfere too much.
Under these circumstances, Meng Jixue had never even considered Zhou Weicheng.
If she really chose Zhou Weicheng, trouble would probably break out immediately. After all, he was currently in the throes of being deeply in love.
Thinking of this, Meng Jixue replied, “Leaving aside what I think of Brother Weicheng, I don’t think he has any interest in me. I’d rather not force him into something he doesn’t want.”
Upon hearing this, Guo Huixiu immediately remembered how, just the previous night, she and Zhong Youyi had excitedly tried to convince Zhou Weicheng of how wonderful Meng Jixue was, telling him that marrying her would be like having heaven itself favor him. Yet Zhou Weicheng had actually gotten into an argument with them. Even that morning, Guo Huixiu had practically dragged him here by force.
Her smile disappeared, and she sighed. “That’s true. Marriage cannot be forced, and you shouldn’t have to suffer for it either.”
Seeing how easily Guo Huixiu gave up, Meng Jixue breathed a sigh of relief.
However, when she remembered that her eldest aunt had been introducing potential marriage partners to Zhou Hanzhang, she began to make discreet inquiries.
“Among the women introduced by aunt, didn’t my uncle find any of them suitable?”