Chapter 18 - 18 Painting a Portrait
"It's a pity you paint so well. If Miss saw your painting, she would definitely love it," maid Xiaoxue said regretfully.
"The ones who should be regretful are you, not me," Zhong Lin smiled and said, "With my painting skills, I'm not worried about people not recognizing its value."
The confidence in his voice made maid Xiaoxue feel an urge to hit him, but she had to admit that Zhong Lin's painting skill was the best she'd ever seen.
Xiaoxue didn't understand the importance of meaning over form; she only knew that Zhong Lin's paintings were so lifelike, as if the people in them could walk out at any moment, it was simply miraculous.
She pouted and pointed at a painting scroll in Zhong Lin's bundle, "Sell this to me! I'll take it back for Miss to see."
"Five silver grains."
"That's fair, not expensive. Miao Painting Workshop charges three silver grains for painting Miss, so your painting for five isn't expensive at all."
As she spoke, maid Xiaoxue took out one silver grain from her pouch, just five grains precisely.
Zhong Lin accepted the silver and also handed over the painting scroll.
Xiaoxue slowly opened it again, marveling at the beauty in the painting. The beauty was dressed in flowing white garments, with an ethereal air, long black hair dancing in the wind, the figure was three-dimensional, eyes lively, almost giving a sense of life.
"So beautiful, even more than my Miss. What's her name? Which family's Miss is she?"
Xiaoxue reluctantly tore her gaze away and closed the scroll, asking aloud.
At that moment, Zhong Lin was still indulging in the joy of earning five silver grains. To think that this was drawn in just an incense-stick's time, and he could paint another anytime if needed.
The rent for the courtyard he rented was only three silver grains for a year, and this one painting was five grains. With this skill, he would never worry about going hungry again.
Hearing maid Xiaoxue's question, he casually responded, "This is the Little Dragon Maid, not any family's Miss. She appeared to me in a dream, so I painted her."
"Seen in a dream? No wonder she seems so ethereal, full of an immortal aura. How could such a graceful woman come from the mortal world?"
Maid Xiaoxue sighed, turned around, and headed back to the Nuoxiang Building.
Zhong Lin also pocketed his five silver grains and walked away with great strides.
Having earned five silver grains from his first transaction, he decided he must reward himself.
Eat out.
"Might I ask, is this Master Zhong?"
A carriage suddenly stopped in front of Zhong Lin, and a slender old man in his fifties got off.
"Who are you?"
"Having heard of Master Zhong's unrivaled Danqing Skill, I'm here to invite you to paint for my master. Please accompany me."
The steward showed no arrogance due to Zhong Lin's youth, his tone was gentle, making one admire the bearing of a distinguished household's steward.
"I can paint, as for the fee..."
"Please rest assured, Master Zhong. If your painting satisfies our master, you will be well rewarded."
"Alright."
Zhong Lin stepped onto the carriage, daringly heading toward the city inside.
Sitting in the carriage, the steward was taciturn, resting with his eyes closed, so Zhong Lin didn't bother talking and instead looked out the window at the scenery.
As the carriage moved, the buildings along the street became more orderly, and the passers-by dressed noticeably better.
The ground was paved with bluestone, and the houses changed from small homes to large courtyards.
After about a quarter of an hour, they arrived at a large red-painted gate, above which hung a big plaque with the characters "Liu Mansion" inscribed.
"Master Zhong, please."
Following the steward through a side door, they passed rockeries and waterscapes, pavilions and corridors, making Zhong Lin marvel at the grandeur of this large household.
Soon, the steward led them into the inner courtyard, where seven or eight maids and servants were waiting.
Some carried a basin, others held towels, and some brought food boxes.
Upon entering the room, a strong smell of medicine assaulted Zhong Lin's nose.
The steward whispered apologetically, "Please forgive us, Master Zhong. Our master is terminally ill, and the doctor says he doesn't have much time left. We invited you to paint a deathbed portrait of our master, so that descendants can have an image to remember him by. Please be rest assured, you will be given a generous red envelope once it's done."
"Steward, is the painter here?"
A middle-aged man in his forties inside the house asked loudly upon seeing Zhong Lin and the steward enter.
"Young Master, the painter is here."
"Him?"
The middle-aged man looked at Zhong Lin and, as usual, showed a skeptical expression.
Zhong Lin said nothing more, directly took out a painting scroll from his back, displaying half of it as a demonstration for the middle-aged man.
This had already become Zhong Lin's calling card.
Indeed, after seeing the painting in Zhong Lin's hands, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up, and he nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad, let's go with him!"
The steward hurriedly led him into the inner chamber, where they also saw an old man lying on the bed, his face pale, breathing weakly, with every breath causing the throat to issue a dull sound like a broken bellows, making one fear his legs might give out at any moment.
"Here we are...cough cough."
His voice was hoarse and weak, and he started coughing violently after speaking just one sentence. The elderly woman beside him soothed his chest for a long time before it calmed down.
"Master, this is the painter I found for you," the steward stepped forward and whispered.
"So young a painter? Never mind, if you've chosen him, he must be decent. Begin!" Master Liu weakly waved his hand.
"Top-quality brush, ink, paper, and inkstone have been prepared, Master Zhong, please."
Zhong Lin was speechless at this point, his original target was the ladies in the brothel, who could have predicted that the brothel business would fall through, and instead, he'd be painting a deathbed portrait? Life is unpredictable, like intestines stuffed into intestines!
Well, painting is painting! Earning money isn't embarrassing.
Zhong Lin did not immediately sit down to paint, but turned to the steward and said, "Please bring me Master Liu's usual clothes and accessories to look at."
The steward gave Zhong Lin a surprised look but went ahead to arrange it according to Zhong Lin's request after asking for permission.
Zhong Lin ignored everything else, walking to the bedside to study Master Liu's features carefully, and after a short while, had a clear understanding.
Before long, Master Liu's clothes were brought over. Ordinarily, the subject should be in their attire and appearance before being painted, but Master Liu had no energy for such things.
He asked the steward several questions about Master Liu's usual demeanor, habits, and so on, before finally sitting down and picking up the brush.
An hour later, Zhong Lin slowly put down his brush and stood up.
In fact, he had almost finished half an hour earlier, but he had to show respect to the people paying.
"Master Zhong, marvelous skill."
The steward and Young Master Liu, who were standing behind Zhong Lin, couldn't help but be moved when they saw the painting.
The person in the painting had a full face, bright eyes, hair meticulously groomed, and the overall image was strikingly different from the elder on the sickbed near death.
But they knew this was the image of Master Liu in a healthy state, and the image in the painting was even younger than usual.
It's just manual photo editing, basic operation, nothing to marvel at.