Chapter 31: How many painters practiced their whole lives to become famous? I'm afraid they couldn't imitate...
"Ever since the young lady restored the 'Taegae Tu', word has spread that a restoration master with extraordinary skills has emerged in the capital," said Zhao Ji.
Jiang Tong raised an eyebrow in surprise when he heard this: "How did it get spread so quickly?"
Although she was sure that her skill would make her successful, she did not expect it to happen so quickly.
"Hey! Little girl, you may not know that the collector of 'Treading Song' had been asking all over the city for someone who could help him repair it. Many of my colleagues had seen the painting when it was damaged. When they heard that the painting had been restored, they all came to me and begged me to show it to them.
It wouldn't matter if they didn't see her, but once they did, they were all completely impressed. They even asked me indirectly where the girl lived, probably because they wanted to recruit her."
At this point, Zhao Ji's implication was very clear. He just wanted a verbal promise from Jiang Tong, promising that she would not be taken away by another family.
Jiang Tong knew exactly what he meant, but she pretended not to understand and just smiled without saying anything.
The air was a little frozen for a moment.
Zhao Ji didn't want Jiang Tong to let his words fall through, so he had to find a way out for himself.
"Thanks to you, the shop has been very busy lately. We're almost overwhelmed. My two apprentices haven't gone home for several days and have been sleeping in the shop every day."
"That's a good thing," Jiang Tong said with a smile. Suddenly remembering something, he added, "But don't even think about ordering my apprentice around. She still has to report to me every day."
"Yes, yes, it's a blessing for Quesheng to have won the young lady's favor. I won't let her do anything at home. She can also appreciate the famous paintings in our house."
Jiang Tong nodded: "You have to read more to make progress."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and gestured, inviting Zhao Ji into the study.
"Young lady, you don't have time to rest," Zhao Ji said with a smile as he stepped inside. "A distinguished guest has specifically requested that you repair his painting."
"What painting?"
"It's 'Early Spring' by Guo Xi of the Northern Song Dynasty."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Tong turned his head suddenly, and the two foxes' eyes emitted a frightening light.
Guo Xi can be said to be an insurmountable peak in landscape painting.
In other words, in addition to his good painting skills, more importantly, his works have complete theoretical support.
He proposed the famous "Three Distances" principle for expressing space in landscape painting, namely, high distance, deep distance, and flat distance. This theory has had a profound influence on later painters.
Guo Xi's "Early Spring" is the pinnacle of his work that combines both theory and painting skills.
With just one painting, the three spaces of high, deep and flat are integrated into one. The mountain scenery in the painting is a reversal of the general and vast style of previous paintings. Instead, it gives the viewer an appreciation experience that this mountain can be walked, viewed, traveled and lived in. This alone is enough to make people breathtaking.
It can be said that no one who loves painting can resist the temptation to see "Early Spring" with their own eyes.
Jiang Tong had been running around all day and was already a little exhausted. But when she heard that it was "Early Spring" by the landscape master Guo Xi, she instantly regained her strength and spirit. She asked:
"What's the extent of the damage?"
"I haven't seen it. The collector wants to invite you to his house to discuss it if you're interested."
"He's worried and wants to talk to me in person to see if I'm trustworthy," Jiang Tong said with a smile. "After all, it's a Guo Xi painting, so it's understandable that the owner is cautious. So where does the collector live?"
Seeing Jiang Tong's interest, Zhao Ji also smiled and said, "This family is easy to find. It's the Xu family of Tongzhengshi. You can find it after asking around."
However, before he could finish his words, Jiang Tong's expression suddenly darkened.
Zhao Ji's heart skipped a beat, and then he heard Jiang Tong say coldly, "Is it Xu Gong or Xu Sheng who's asking you for a favor?"
"He is the one who serves Mr. Xu."
"Please help me to refuse it, Mr. Zhao." Jiang Tong said.
Zhao Ji was horrified: "Girl! Why is this happening?"
"No reason, I just don't want to help Xu."
"Girl, you can't get along with anyone except money!"
If Guo Xi's paintings were authentic, they could be sold at a sky-high price of over one thousand taels.
According to Jiang Tong's usual rules, she would charge 10% of the painting's value as a fee for repairing it.
In other words, Jiang Tong can earn at least one hundred taels from this order.
"This is a hundred taels! You can definitely move on to a bigger house and hire three or two servants."
Jiang Tong raised his eyebrows slightly: "With my ability, am I really afraid that I can't earn this hundred taels?"
"With your ability, you can certainly ignore the one hundred taels, but he is the son of the Minister of Public Administration! If this deal is successful, maybe more officials will be willing to give their family collections to you for repair in the future..." Zhao Ji spoke faster and faster.
He was really anxious, fearing that the little girl Jiang Tong would not be able to see the opportunity behind it, which would prevent him from rising with the tide.
He was anxious to finalize the matter: "I have already found the old silk and papers from the Northern Song Dynasty for the restoration. I will do it later..."
Jiang Tong chuckled, a look of disdain in his eyes. "Shopkeeper Zhao, you don't know. That Xu Sheng is just a dandy idiot who likes to pretend to be cultured. What could he know about Guo Xi? I think that 'Early Spring' painting in his hand is probably a fake."
Zhao Ji tried to persuade Jiang Tong over and over but failed. Helplessly, he had to leave in disappointment and did not even wait for Zhao Quesheng to finish his meal before going home together.
While eating, Su Guanqing and Jiang Tong sat side by side on the threshold of the kitchen and asked, "Has Shopkeeper Zhao brought any more paintings?"
Zhao Quesheng brought out the palm-sized stool from the kitchen and sat down opposite them. Hearing this, he said, "Yes, my uncle said that this time's customer is a very high-ranking official."
The little girl has been with them for a long time and is not as timid as before. She dares to answer them.
Jiang Tong said, "I didn't answer. It's a good time to take a break for two days."
Su Guanqing agreed very much.
Whenever Jiang Tong began revising a painting, she would easily become completely absorbed in it, forgetting even to eat or sleep. Even so, she wouldn't allow anyone to interrupt her at the appointed time, which made Su Guanqing feel both distressed and tormented, yet he dared not even say a word to urge her. He certainly wished Jiang Tong could have a good rest.
At that moment, he smiled and said, "This is a good opportunity to check Quesheng's work. I've taught her a lot these days, and I wonder how well she's mastered it."
"Could there be any problem with what you teach?" Jiang Tong said as a matter of course.
Seeing that Zhao Quesheng had already devoured the food in his bowl, she scooped another spoonful of minced meat and eggplant for her and ordered, "Go get yourself another bowl of rice."
She had noticed that this little girl had the same problem as her master. She wouldn't ask for anything she needed, and she wouldn't dare add more rice or vegetables even if she wasn't full. If you asked her, she would tell you she was full, so you could only give her orders directly.
Su Guanqing had just shaken his head when he felt the breeze brush his cheek. He knew it was Zhao Quesheng walking between him and Jiang Tong into the kitchen to scoop up some rice. He then spoke softly, "There's still a big problem. Take something as simple as holding a pen. I only showed her how to hold it, but I don't know if she's holding it correctly. If she learns the wrong way, it will become a habit over time, and it will be difficult to correct it in the future."
"Okay, I'll help her with it in the next few days." Jiang Tong said, and put a large spoonful of minced meat and eggplant in Su Guanqing's bowl.
…
A few days later, Zhao Ji came again.
This time, he didn't beat around the bush with Jiang Tong and went straight to the point: "Miss, Master Xu has raised the reward to two hundred taels! I just want you to repair the 'Early Spring Picture'!"
Jiang Tong is teaching students with Su Guanqing.
Su Guanqing was responsible for orally explaining various brush strokes, while Jiang Tong demonstrated with a pen beside him.
She had never taught students this way before, and she found it both fresh and labor-saving.
In the past, she taught her apprentices herself. When her apprentices didn’t understand, she would get angry and her apprentices would be terrified.
But Su Guanqing was different. He was always very patient. When students couldn't understand something, he never blamed them for being stupid. Instead, he reflected on whether he hadn't explained it clearly enough, changing his perspective and way of speaking, and patiently repeating it over and over again.
Seeing this, Jiang Tong sighed that he was not as good as her.
When Zhao Quesheng was practicing, she continued to discuss in depth with Su Guanqing the brushwork just now.
She studied the brushwork of various masters from the perspective of a restorer, aiming to imitate them flawlessly. However, Su Guanqing's approach, from the perspective of a painter, provided her with a fresh and surprising insight.
Jiang Tong was in high spirits, but when Zhao Ji arrived, Su Guanqing remembered that he had hung the clothes out to dry and went out to collect them.
Jiang Tong was already unhappy about being interrupted by Zhao Ji, and when he heard about this again, he was even more displeased: "There are countless repair craftsmen in this city, why do you have to ask me to do it?"
"Well, I heard Lord Xu was planning to present this painting as a tribute to His Majesty, and he wanted it restored so completely that not even a trace of restoration could be seen. Who else in the city, besides this young lady, could guarantee this level of 'four-sided polish'? That aside, the brushwork in 'Early Spring' is severely lost, and Lord Xu demanded a seamless restoration. No other restorer would dare take on the task."
Zhao Ji paused for a moment, "This is indeed difficult. If the young lady can't repair it..."
He was trying to provoke Jiang Tong. He thought that after all, she was just a girl in her teens, and she was always proud of her skills, so she would definitely not be able to withstand the provocation.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tong snorted coldly upon hearing this: "That's right, just tell Xu Sheng that I don't have the ability to fix it. That way, he won't bother me again."
Zhao Ji was choked by her. After all, he was much older and had always been so humble, but Jiang Tong never gave him face. He was also angry and couldn't help but say, "Yes, you are very capable, and you can certainly improve it if you want. But this is a painting by Guo Xi. Such a master is not easy to imitate."
Jiang Tong knew that he was just trying to provoke her, so she was too lazy to say anything to him.
Zhao Quesheng lost his temper and immediately retorted, "My teacher is very capable! He can fix anyone's painting!"
Zhao Ji pretended to be surprised: "Quesheng, you can't say that casually. If you make a promise and fail to keep it, it will only damage your reputation!"
Seeing Zhao Ji's disbelief, Zhao Quesheng felt even more sorry for Jiang Tong. She stood up, her face flushed red. "I'm not talking nonsense! My teacher can do it! He can imitate anyone's brushwork!"
As she spoke, she handed Zhao Ji the straw paper that Jiang Tong had just demonstrated to her. "Uncle, look, these crab claw branches and these rolling cloud textures, aren't they exactly the brushwork of Guo Xi?"
Zhao Ji originally took a casual glance, but after he saw it clearly, he excitedly grabbed the straw paper, looked at it carefully again and again, and then looked up at Jiang Tong.
"Many painters, even after a lifetime of practice, would never be able to achieve such a level of both form and spirit. The skill of the young lady's brush is truly admirable."
As he spoke, his face was filled with grief: "Miss, if you have such ability, why don't you make money from the two hundred taels of silver?"
Jiang Tong said helplessly, "It's not that I'm unwilling to earn money, it's just that I have a grudge against Xu Sheng."
"Miss Jiang, it's better to resolve this feud than to create one. The Xu family is a family of officials after all..." Zhao Ji continued to persuade her earnestly.
Jiang Tong waved her hand. "This is a grudge between Xu Sheng and me. It's not appropriate to put Shopkeeper Zhao in the middle. Please tell Xu Sheng that if he really wants me to help him repair his painting, he can come to me himself."
Having said this, Zhao Ji knew that it was useless to say anything more, so he had to say goodbye and go to Xu's house to deliver the message.
As soon as Zhao Ji left, Zhao Quesheng finally came to his senses and asked Jiang Tong with a gloomy face, "Teacher, did I say something wrong just now?"
Jiang Tong rubbed her head and said, "Go and urge your master. Why is it taking him so long to put away the clothes?"
…
When Jiang Tong said that Xu Sheng should come to her house in person, it was just a casual remark. She didn't expect Xu Sheng to really come.
What was even more unexpected was that when Xu Sheng came to visit, he brought his father with him.
...To be precise, Xu Sheng was kicked in the door by his father, grabbing his ears.
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