So, he could only praise it indiscriminately, “It’s really good calligraphy! It is a masterpiece, it is remarkable!”
With one sentence, Xiao Changkun made Fei Kexin firmly believe that this old man was a big waterboy.
However, she was still very serious and said, “Vice President Xiao is right, this is indeed the work of a great master, although it is not as good as the top calligraphers like Wang Xizhi, it is definitely one of the best as far as this part of Jinling is concerned.”
Xiao Changkun then came up to President Pei and asked her in a casual manner, “President, how much are these eight pieces of calligraphy worth?”
President Pei said seriously, “Zheng Zhou’s calligraphy is not expensive compared to many of the top artists, but in recent years, the best works have been auctioned for over a million, and as you know from the collecting industry, the more sets something comes in, the more expensive it is, and the greater the number of individual sets, the more expensive it is! So if these eight characters were really put up for auction, tens of millions would still be required!”
Xiao Changkun was secretly staggered and couldn’t help but take a look at Fei Kexin, thinking, “This girl’s family must be particularly rich, otherwise how could they donate tens of millions of dollars just by saying so?”
The more he looked at them, the more delighted he was. He couldn’t help but ask Fei Kexin, “Miss Zhan, are these eight pieces of calligraphy really going to be donated to the Jinling Calligraphy and Painting a*sociation?”
Fei Kexin said without hesitation, “Of course! If President Pei has no problem with it, I can sign the donation letter at any time and confirm the donation in writing!”
President Pei was extraordinarily excited and said in a trembling voice, “Aiya! This is so much thanks to you Miss Zhan! The return of the Eight Sighs of Jinling to Jinling must be an immensely sensational event for the entire Jinling painting and calligraphy community! On behalf of the Jinling Calligraphy and Painting a*sociation, as well as all the calligraphers, calligraphy and painting enthusiasts in Jinling, I would like to thank you for your generous donation!”
Fei Kexin said with a smile, “President Pei has spoken too highly, these eight pieces of calligraphy are a token of appreciation from the elderly members of the family, and I am only pa*sing them on on their behalf.”
President Pei asked gratefully, “Miss Zhan, I wonder what the name of the old man in your family is? I will turn around and publicise it in the Jinling painting and calligraphy community so that everyone will remember his contribution to the cultural cause of Jinling!”
Fei Kexin said seriously, “Chairman Pei, my grandfather kept a low profile and did not want to reveal too much about his identity, but the old man has always been concerned about the promotion and development of Jinling’s history and culture, so this time he has also instructed me to organise an exhibition of Jinling’s local art in Jinling. When the exhibition starts, he will definitely come to Jinling to participate, and will have the opportunity to meet you two face to face.”
President Pei nodded and said earnestly, “Then we will wait for the exhibition to be launched and get a glimpse of the old man!”
Having said that, he asked tentatively, “Miss Zhan, I wonder what your family’s budget is for the art exhibition?”
Fei Kexin said casually, “Let’s initially set it at 50 million RMB, and we can add more if it’s not enough!”
When Chairman Pei heard the figure of fifty million, his whole body felt dizzy.
The Painting and Calligraphy a*sociation relied on the financial allocation from the higher level for most of its funding, but the annual allocation was only a few hundred to ten million RMB, and every year when the funding was not enough, President Pei would lead everyone to generate income to keep the a*sociation running well.
So, having been used to a tight life, the first time he heard that an art exhibition had a budget of 50 million dollars, he could not adapt to it at all.
Xiao Changkun was very excited and could not help but say to President Pei, “President, with this $50 million, we can do a big job! When the time comes, let’s make a grand show, and let the other art a*sociations in Jinling, including the senior citizens’ university gang, have a good look!”
Fei Ke welcomed the fact that the time was ripe and hurriedly said, “Two presidents, why don’t I invite you to a casual dinner tonight and we can talk about the art exhibition while we eat?”
President Pei naturally agreed with great excitement, and Xiao Changkun, who had seen He Yuanjiang make a big splash at the exchange today, was also a little bit angry in his heart, so when he heard that he had the chance to do something big, he was also excited, so he also agreed to Fei Ke Xin’s invitation without hesitation.
However, these two old men, who are over a hundred years old together, failed to see that this young girl in her early twenties was not interested in wine!