So the moment William Clark put pen to paper, he was shocked. William Clark’s handwriting was elegant and free-flowing, exuding an ancient charm, and every stroke revealed the integrity and uprightness of a great scholar. Looking at William Clark’s writing, Teacher King could only sigh, “A master, truly a master.” But when did such a young calligraphy master appear in China?

“Old Carter, Old White, Old Mason, come and take a look!” Teacher King took the prescription written by William Clark, walked over to Old Carter’s bedside, and handed it to them.

Tomorrow is a workday again. I’ll try to write as much as I can, at least one chapter, and finally, thank you to Xuan Shi and Feng Yun for your support. Thank you, much appreciated.

Chapter 13: Comparing Goods—Some Should Be Thrown Away

Lying in bed, feeling a bit better as his pain eased, Teacher Carter took the prescription and joked, “What, Old King, you know how to read prescriptions now?”

“Whew—” The previously weak and bedridden Old Carter suddenly found the strength to sit up, staring at the prescription in shock, speechless for a long time.

“What’s wrong, Old Carter?”

“Yeah, Old Carter, what’s up? It’s just a prescription, isn’t it?” Teacher Mason and Teacher White, seeing Old Carter’s expression, also leaned in to take a look.

The two who had been smiling just a moment ago were instantly petrified the moment they saw the prescription, their lips slightly parted as they stared at it, motionless.

Although Teacher Carter, Teacher White, and Teacher Mason weren’t top-notch in calligraphy themselves, as nationally renowned appraisers, their ability to appreciate calligraphy was extremely high.

“A master’s work, and not just any master—this is the work of a top-tier master!” If the ink weren’t still wet, and if it hadn’t been written right in front of them, they would have thought it was ghostwritten by some great master.

“Such beautiful writing… truly beautiful!” After a long while, Teacher Carter was the first to come back to his senses. It seemed to have drained all his energy, and he lay back down on the bed.

“Sigh, indeed!” Teacher White and Teacher Mason let out a sigh, full of emotion.

“Sigh, the waves behind drive on those before!” Standing to the side, Teacher King heard their sighs and also let out a melancholy breath. He was different from the others. Teacher White, Teacher Carter, and Teacher Mason were highly skilled in appreciation, but their own calligraphy was average—good enough to fool laymen, but any expert could tell the difference at a glance. After all, their main profession wasn’t in calligraphy or painting, so seeing a fine piece only left them deeply moved. But Teacher King was different. As an expert in calligraphy and painting appraisal, he had studied calligraphy for over forty years and was highly accomplished himself. Yet when he saw William Clark’s writing, he suddenly felt that comparing people can be infuriating, and comparing goods can make you want to throw yours away.

“Exactly! The earlier waves die on the shore.” Hearing Teacher King say this, his friends, knowing they probably shouldn’t, couldn’t help but agree.

“Doctor Clark’s handwriting is elegant and free, perfect in both form and spirit. What’s especially rare is that it contains the integrity and uprightness of a true scholar. Such writing would be considered the work of a master in any era! You can judge a person by their writing, and it’s clear what kind of person Doctor Clark is!” Teacher Carter’s words seemed to sap all his remaining strength. He lay on the bed with his eyes closed, resting. After a while, he opened his eyes again and said, “No need to look at the prescription anymore, just go get the medicine for me! I trust Doctor Clark. But since this prescription is for my medicine, I want to keep it.”

“No way, Old Carter, that’s not fair!”

“Yeah, Old Carter, I’ve been taking care of you all night. Shouldn’t it be mine?” Hearing Teacher Carter say he was keeping the prescription, Teacher White and Teacher Mason immediately protested.

Director Howard didn’t really understand calligraphy. When William Clark was writing the prescription, he just found it odd that someone would use such a thick brush. His son studied calligraphy at the youth center, and he’d seen his son write, but always with a regular small brush. Could anyone write well with such a big brush? After William Clark finished, he just felt there was an indescribable aura in the writing, and the characters were very beautiful. Now, hearing the top experts’ evaluations and seeing them fight over it, he realized William Clark’s writing was no ordinary thing.

Emily Foster didn’t think that much. He didn’t understand the experts’ comments, but when he saw several top experts fighting over William Clark’s writing, and even the seriously ill Old Carter joining in, he realized how valuable it was. He’d spent some time in the antique market—maybe he wasn’t an expert, but he’d picked up some street smarts.

“Little William, Doctor Clark, Doctor Clark… could you take a look at me and maybe prescribe something?” Emily Foster approached William Clark with a beaming smile.

William Clark wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what Emily Foster was up to today—just waiting for the right moment to sell him out. Now that he saw William Clark was valuable, he’d gone from calling him Little William to using honorifics. That’s just the opportunistic nature of businessmen—anything for profit.

The experts who had been arguing heard Emily Foster’s words and their eyes lit up. They’d been fighting over a prescription, forgetting that the person who wrote it was right there. They quickly put down Teacher Carter’s prescription and lined up behind Emily Foster, thinking, “If the doctor can check our health and maybe give us a piece of his writing, why not?”

Actually, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to ask William Clark for his writing, but as the saying goes, you can judge a person by their writing. They knew he was a man of integrity and wouldn’t casually give away his calligraphy just because they were famous experts.