At the gates of both of Zhang Bin's villas, a pair of couplets were hung.

Yes, hung, not pasted.

If they were hung, they could be taken down and preserved for the future. No one could bear to damage such beautiful couplets.

At this very moment, a group of villagers was gathered in front of Zhang Bin's villa, admiring the couplets he had written with rapt fascination.

And Mother Zhang was there, boasting proudly. "Have you ever seen such beautiful calligraphy? I'm sure you haven't. Let me tell you, my son is an unparalleled calligraphy genius! He only practiced for three months—no, no, one month—and his skill reached the pinnacle. If this pair of couplets were put up for sale, how much do you guess they would be worth?"

"A thousand."

"Two hundred."

"Five thousand."

"..."

The villagers made their guesses, their faces filled with awe. It was New Year's Eve, and they had all recently bought couplets for about twenty yuan a pair. Their estimates already valued Zhang Bin's work very highly.

"Ha! A bunch of country bumpkins. Actually, I'm just like you, a country bumpkin myself. I didn't know their value at first, either. It was only after Ruolan mentioned that these couplets were immensely valuable, worth at least twenty thousand yuan," Mother Zhang said, spittle flying from her mouth as she spoke.

She believed that twenty thousand for a pair of couplets was an astronomical price. She even felt a bit insecure about her own boast.

"Just those few characters are worth twenty thousand? That's almost two thousand per character!"

"If Xiao Bin writes thousands of characters a day, wouldn't that be worth millions?"

"Xiao Bin is incredible! He's actually a calligrapher!"

"..."

The villagers had witnessed many of Zhang Bin's miracles, so they didn't doubt Mother Zhang's claims. They all began to discuss it with excitement and agitation.

Liu Ruolan hurried out and chided, "Mom, when did I ever tell you that these couplets are worth twenty thousand?"

"Well, didn't you say that just now? It seemed like you were talking to yourself," Mother Zhang replied, a bit embarrassed. This daughter-in-law is usually so sensible. Why is she undermining me today? Where am I supposed to put my old face now?

"You must have misheard. Mom, let me explain. This pair of couplets is comparable to the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, the Sage of Calligraphy. None of his original works have survived, only copies. Therefore, this is another piece of Sage-level calligraphy to appear after Wang Xizhi. Its value is enormous—not the twenty thousand you mentioned, but over twenty million. If it were auctioned, it might fetch even more," Liu Ruolan explained gently.

She didn't want her mother-in-law to make a fool of herself, so she had to set her straight.

"Over twenty million? Is that true?"

Mother Zhang's eyes went wide and her jaw nearly dropped, shock written all over her face. She felt that all the boasting she had done in her life couldn't compare to these few sentences from her daughter-in-law. So my daughter-in-law is a master boaster, too.

This time, the villagers were completely dumbfounded. They stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, their rapid breathing the only sound.

"It's absolutely true. You know of Master Lin Lanting, right? He's a Painting Grandmaster. Any painting he creates is worth over two hundred million, with the most expensive reaching four hundred million..."

Liu Ruolan began to educate Mother Zhang on the basics of painting and calligraphy.

In the end, Mother Zhang was convinced, and so were the villagers. They were all excited beyond words.

Mother Zhang also felt a pang of regret. Why hadn't she been bolder with her bragging earlier? Why had she only said twenty thousand instead of twenty million? The difference was astronomical! Sigh, I missed a great opportunity to show off.

Soon, the news that Zhang Bin's couplets were worth twenty million spread throughout Sanchahe Village.

Mother Cheng naturally heard about it. She was stunned for a long while, then she furtively crept out of her house. After peeking around to make sure no one was watching, she tore down most of the new couplets on her own gate.

A little later, she appeared at Zhang Bin's villa and entered his room.

Zhang Bin was resting his head on Liu Ruolan's long legs while Xiao Fang massaged his legs. When they saw Mother Cheng arrive, they immediately jumped up. Zhang Bin politely invited her to sit on the sofa.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Xiao Fang asked in surprise.

It was almost dark, and tonight was New Year's Eve. It should have been a very busy time, so how could Mother Cheng possibly have the time to come over?

"Well, it's like this... some naughty kid tore down our couplets. It's too late to go buy new ones now. So... so, I was hoping Xiao Bin could write a pair for us..."

Mother Cheng was a bit nervous. After all, Zhang Bin's couplets were worth twenty million. Am I really here asking for twenty million? Will Zhang Bin agree? Have I gone too far?

Xiao Fang's expression changed, a flicker of unease in her eyes. I know Mom's tricks all too well. Is Zhang Bin going to be angry?

"It's just a pair of couplets, right? I'll write one now. Consider it a gift for my parents-in-law," Zhang Bin said with a warm smile. He took out a brush and paper and, with a few fluid strokes on the table, quickly finished a pair of couplets.

Of course, they were peerlessly beautiful.

In truth, he didn't like Mother Cheng at all. She was far too materialistic and had looked down on him many times in the past. But she had a good daughter, Xiao Fang, who was now his woman. For Xiao Fang's sake, he had to give her mother some face. Besides, his father-in-law, Cheng Youtian, was a decent man. How could he possibly be stingy with a pair of couplets? For him, it was merely the work of a moment.

Mother Cheng beamed with joy, almost falling to her knees in gratitude. A pair of couplets worth twenty million! She wouldn't sleep a wink tonight; she had to guard them well.

A brilliant smile bloomed on Xiao Fang's face, her beautiful eyes filled with tender affection.

Liu Ruolan was also very pleased, happy that Zhang Bin hadn't held onto past grudges with Mother Cheng. This was the mark of a magnanimous man.

Zhang Bin even went over to Xiaofang's Home personally to hang the couplets for them.

Cheng Youtian and Mother Cheng were overwhelmed by the gesture, thanking Zhang Bin profusely. With a pair of couplets like this, their Cheng family could be considered local tycoons. If it weren't New Year's Eve, they would have insisted he stay.

Perhaps sensing how anxious Mother Cheng was about the couplets, Zhang Bin took a few steps away, then turned back with a smile. "Mom, Sanchahe Village is within the defensive perimeter of my Great Array. The couplets will be absolutely safe hanging outside, so you don't need to worry."

"Yes, yes, I know. Now I can finally get some sleep tonight."

Mother Cheng was overjoyed, especially because Zhang Bin had called her "Mom," something she had longed to hear for a very long time.

As soon as Zhang Bin left, she began jumping around the room, nearly crazed with delight.

"So now you see how good Xiao Bin is? Weren't you the one who wanted to marry our daughter off to that Teng Qingshan?" Father Cheng said irritably.

"Old man, if you ever dare bring that up again, I'll fight you!" Mother Cheng threatened, growing furious with embarrassment.

"I won't mention it, I won't mention it," Father Cheng said. "Hurry up and prepare the food and drinks for the New Year. Don't you know Xiao Bin is coming to pay a New Year's visit tomorrow?"

"Right, right! I'll go right now!" Mother Cheng exclaimed, rushing excitedly into the kitchen.

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