Chen Yang's painting depicts a dilapidated courtyard house. An elderly man, in his eighties, sits peacefully in a rocking chair under a grape trellis. Beside him is a pot of tea, steam rising from its spout. Golden rapeseed flowers bloom in small vegetable patches within the courtyard, and bees busily flit among the blossoms. The old man is engrossed in reading a thread-bound copy of the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, his right index finger slightly bent, seemingly tapping leisurely on the armrest of the rocking chair.
What a beautiful scene of an autumn afternoon nap!
The experts present were all astonished. Not because the painting itself was particularly groundbreaking—they hadn't yet had time to appreciate its nuances—but because the old man in the painting, the very essence of his features, was unmistakably that of Master Bai Yan, the head of the expert review panel. It's no wonder that even someone as composed as Master Bai Yan couldn't help but lose his composure.
Compared to the experts, Master Baiyan was even more shocked, because everything in the painting was real, not just a figment of his imagination. Even the chipped door, the tattered bamboo basket hanging on the wall, and the large yellow dog curled up in the corner, were exactly the same as those in Master Baiyan's real home!
Chen Yang had anticipated Master Baiyan's reaction. He smiled slightly and said,
"Teacher, I have long admired you. I have read your 'Notes on Time' many times, and I yearn for the idyllic life you depict! I have also studied your paintings repeatedly. Today, meeting you, I was so moved that I couldn't help but create this 'Autumn Retreat.' I humbly request your guidance!"
Chen Yang addressed him as "Teacher" so fluently that it sounded perfectly natural to those around him. After listening to Chen Yang's words, Master Bai Yan felt relieved. "Notes on Time" is a collection of essays by Master Bai Yan, many of which describe his leisurely time in his small courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing. Many of Master Bai Yan's published paintings are based on this courtyard. Thinking that Chen Yang had created such a vivid painting from it, Master Bai Yan was deeply moved. He could imagine that Chen Yang's research into his paintings must have been extremely profound.
Master Bai Yan nodded with satisfaction, continuing to focus his gaze on the painting. He looked at it very intently, occasionally making gestures in the air with his right hand, his expression gradually becoming excited. After a while, Master Bai Yan spoke:
"Good! Good! Good indeed!"
His three consecutive exclamations of praise stunned everyone present. The audience's eyes all turned to the large screen, where a camera was specifically focused on the painting, transmitting the image in real time.
Master Baiyan continued,
"Young man, I never imagined that at such a young age you would understand the essence of incorporating calligraphy into painting—seeing the brushstrokes but not the form, transforming all forms into calligraphic lines, completely forgetting the object and the self! Young man, you must have learned calligraphy first!"
Chen Yang smiled slightly,
"Teacher, your insight is truly remarkable. In my youth, I indeed studied calligraphy first, and only after achieving some success in calligraphy did I begin to learn traditional Chinese painting!"
Master Baiyan smiled and stroked his beard,
"That is the right path." "Only by mastering the various variations of brushstrokes in calligraphy, and the nuances of brush strength, momentum, and ink, can a painter's emotions be expressed vividly and freely through the ever-changing brush and ink. Unfortunately, many people today are impatient for quick success and neglect the essentials, thus falling into inferior categories!"
After saying this, Master Baiyan laughed heartily and asked:
"Chen Yang, would you be willing to become my disciple?"
Upon hearing Master Baiyan's words, Yan Huiming, who had been closely observing the situation, turned ashen-faced. He had actually lost? Lost to this unknown country bumpkin? This was impossible! Master Baiyan had just given my painting high praise!
Yan Huiming's hands clenched into fists, his body trembling slightly. Fortunately, he retained a sliver of reason, knowing that this was a live broadcast, and that many leaders were present both on and off the stage, so he managed to control his emotions and not lose his composure on the spot.
Without a word, Chen Yang knelt down with a thud, saying,
"Master, please accept my three bows!"
He then promptly kowtowed three times. Master Baiyan, standing to the side, did not stop him, smilingly accepting Chen Yang's grand gesture. In the eyes of their elders, becoming a disciple was a significant event, and respect for teachers was extremely important; kneeling and bowing during the ceremony was perfectly natural.
The cameras at the scene faithfully recorded this moment and transmitted it via a live broadcast system. The provincial television station was satellite television, and viewers across the country witnessed Chen Yang's moment of becoming a disciple. After Chen Yang finished kowtowing, Master Baiyan stepped forward and personally helped him up, smiling as he said:
"Good child! Get up quickly. I've accomplished little in my life, except for calligraphy, painting, and collecting, which I'm somewhat capable of. As long as you're willing to learn, I'll teach you wholeheartedly! I'm an old man now; after accepting you as my disciple, I don't plan to take on any more!"
The experts exchanged astonished glances. It turned out Master Baiyan was accepting Chen Yang as his last disciple! Only then did they realize that Master Baiyan had just asked if Chen Yang was willing to become his "disciple," not a "nominal disciple."
The difference between the two words was significant.
A nominal disciple only has the title of master and disciple, while a formal disciple is one who truly receives instruction and guidance. Especially since Master Baiyan's words implied accepting Chen Yang as his last disciple, it's common for masters to show special favor to their youngest disciple, even considering the possibility of him inheriting their mantle.
The experts all looked at Chen Yang with envy. They knew that regardless of his past, this young man was someone no one could underestimate from this day forward. As the last disciple of Master Bai Yan, even if he knew nothing, just the title alone would likely secure him a place in the world of calligraphy and painting. Moreover, Chen Yang's skills in calligraphy and painting were exceptional; those present were all experts, how could they not see that?
Comparing the works in this tiebreaker, Yan Huiming's landscape painting and Chen Yang's work were clearly inferior, not even in the same league.
"Yes! Teacher, I will definitely go to the capital as soon as possible to receive your teachings in person!" Chen Yang replied respectfully.
"Congratulations, Master Bai!"
"Congratulations, Master Bai, on finding such a fine student!"
"Young man, it's your good fortune to become Master Bai's disciple! You must study diligently under Master Bai!"
The experts on the judging panel came up one after another to congratulate him. These experts, who were usually arrogant, were also very kind and encouraging to Chen Yang. Master Bai Yan was very pleased and thanked them all.
Liu Guangya, who had previously strongly opposed awarding the gold medal to Chen Yang, now blushed and paled, but he was powerless to do anything about it. Master Bai Yan's authority was not something a mere vice president of a calligraphy and painting academy like himself could challenge. In stark contrast, He Ping was beaming, glancing at Liu Guangya from time to time, clearly feeling triumphant. Next came the awards ceremony. All the finalists were invited to the stage. He Ping, President of the Southeast Provincial Calligraphers and Painters Association, presented medals and certificates to the winners of the Excellence Award, while Hao Xueqin, Standing Committee Member and Propaganda Minister of the Southeast Provincial Party Committee, presented the bronze award to the winner.
Provincial Party Secretary Fang Hongda also personally went on stage to present the silver awards to Su He and Yan Huiming.
Finally, Chen Yang, the biggest dark horse and the biggest winner of the competition, won the gold award. His performance was well-deserved. His creations on the spot not only captivated the audience and the expert judges, but even impressed Master Bai Yan, who immediately accepted him as his last disciple—an unparalleled honor!
Master Bai Yan personally went on stage to present his newly appointed disciple with the gold award trophy and certificate. Immediately, flashbulbs went off. Chen Yang, smiling, posed for a photo with his teacher, holding the trophy and certificate.
At this moment, no one paid attention to the dejected Yan Huiming; he had become nothing more than a background figure on stage.
"Chen Yang, there's a reception banquet after the competition. Would you like to come with me?" Master Baiyan said to Chen Yang after the live broadcast of the competition ended. "By the way, should we invite the little girl in the silver-winning 'Lady' painting?"
Master Baiyan looked at Chen Yang with a half-smile, making Chen Yang feel awkward. The "Lady" painting Chen Yang submitted was actually of Su He. He knew that with his teacher's discerning eye, he could definitely tell that both the "Dian Jiang Chun" and "Lady" paintings attributed to Su He were his own work. However, with so many people around and the master not explicitly stating it, Chen Yang didn't want to explain further. He said, "No need, teacher. I'll tell her to go back to school first."
...
That night, in Banquet Hall No. 1 on the third floor of the Shangri-La Hotel in Rongcheng City, a reception banquet hosted by the Southeast Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department was underway.
In the center of the enormous banquet hall, spanning over 200 square meters, stood a massive round table with a diameter of 15 meters. More than thirty people sat around it, each with a waiter providing one-on-one service. Of course, banquets of this scale used a separate serving system; all dishes were served fresh, otherwise, picking up food would be a huge hassle!
The Publicity Department had hosted a banquet for relevant officials from the competition organizing committee, experts and scholars from the judging panel, leaders from the provincial television station, leaders from some universities, and representatives of the competition's main sponsors.
Master Bai Yan sat in the center, with Fang Hongda, the Secretary of the Southeast Provincial Party Committee, to his left, and Hao Xueqin, the Minister of the Provincial Publicity Department, to his right. Chen Yang, the least senior and holding no official position, could only sit at the very end, directly opposite Master Bai Yan.
"Chen Yang, well done! Thank you for bringing a gold medal back to Rong University! I toast you on behalf of the university!" As soon as the leaders began toasting, Lü Qiushi rushed over, patting Chen Yang on the shoulder excitedly.
Chen Yang raised his wine glass and lightly clinked it against Lü Qiushi's, saying,
"Thank you, Director Lü!"
"Chen Yang!" Just as Lü Qiushi was about to say something more, someone else called out to Chen Yang from a short distance away. He was also one of the experts on today's review panel, and he personally came over with a wine glass to offer a toast.
Chen Yang could only say to Lü Qiushi,
"I'm sorry, Director Lü!"
"It's alright, let's talk again when we get back to the school!" Lü Qiushi knew that Chen Yang would definitely be one of the focal points of the banquet today, so he didn't mind, smiled casually, and went to the side to toast others.
Sure enough, in a short while, people kept coming to toast Chen Yang. Chen Yang was no stranger to such occasions in his previous life, so he naturally handled himself with ease. His generous demeanor, appropriate speech, and status as a disciple of Master Baiyan left a very good impression on these experts and officials.
Chen Yang finally managed to break through the crowd and reach Master Baiyan's side. Master Baiyan smiled and said,
"Little Chen Yang! We were just talking about you! And here you are."
Chen Yang smiled wryly and said,
"This student really can't hold his liquor. It's safer to stay by your side!"
Master Baiyan immediately burst into laughter. Chen Yang was right; his area was relatively quiet in the entire banquet hall. Fang Hongda was a powerful official, and ordinary cadres didn't dare to approach him to offer a drink. Old Master Baiyan was also quite old, so everyone only offered a perfunctory toast to these two, and after that, few dared to approach.
Chen Yang, holding his wine glass, approached Fang Hongda, who was standing next to Master Baiyan, and said,
"Secretary Fang… I'd like to offer you a toast."
In his previous life, he had always called him Third Uncle, so Chen Yang wasn't used to this form of address.
Fang Hongda had a kind expression. He raised his glass and lightly clinked it against Chen Yang's, but only took a small sip. Chen Yang, however, readily drank the red wine in his glass in one gulp. After they had drunk some wine, Fang Hongda casually asked, "Xiao Fang, where are you from?"
Chen Yang hesitated for a moment, then immediately replied, "Secretary Fang, I'm from Nanpu County in northern Fujian."
"Oh..." A complex expression, a mixture of disappointment and confusion, flickered in Fang Hongda's eyes.
"Hongda, is there a problem?" Master Baiyan looked at Fang Hongda and asked. "Oh! It's nothing, Elder Bai!" Fang Hongda quickly replied, "I just thought young Fang looked a lot like an old friend of mine, so I asked casually. But my old friend has never been to Nanpu, so I think I must have mistaken him for someone else!"
After saying this, Fang Hongda turned to Chen Yang and said:
"Young Fang, don't call me Secretary Fang anymore. Elder Bai and my father were close friends, and you are his disciple. You should be my equal, but that would be too sensational. I think we should just keep to ourselves. From now on, you can call me Uncle Fang! What do you think, Elder Bai?"
Master Bai Yan nodded with a smile: "Excellent!"
Chen Yang immediately greeted him obediently: "Hello, Uncle Fang!"
Chen Yang found the title "Uncle" easy to use, after all, Fang Hongda was his third uncle in his previous life.
"Good! Little cousin, you deserve to call me 'uncle,' my daughter's older than you!" Fang Hongda chuckled, patting Chen Yang's shoulder. "You're studying in Rongcheng, so come visit more often when you have time, chat with your aunt. My two kids are never home!"
Thinking of his cousins Fang Qiao and Fang Xu, Chen Yang couldn't help but smile knowingly. Those two were indeed quite troublesome, giving Fang Hongda no small amount of trouble. He obediently replied, "Okay, Uncle Fang!"